Not Yet
by cifan
Summary: Goren and Eames are investigating a murder when tragedy strikes! What will happen? Chapter 15 is rated M!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: ****For the whole story… I do not own these characters. They belong to Law and Order, not me!**

**This story takes place during season 6. In my mind, it occurs after Brother's Keeper. ****BUT,**** this is ****NOT**** a sequel to another fan fic of mine: Now!**

**Characters' thoughts are in italics.**

--

Eames knocked on the door. "Police, please open the door. We just want to ask you some questions." They were in a walk up in the West Village. There had been a vicious murder on the floor directly above the one they were now on. They needed witnesses. They were there simply to ask questions and hopefully take a statement. No one was answering, but they heard commotion on the other side of the door. They waited. Eames knocked again.

The door opened and a small man stood before them. He was in his 50's and couldn't have been more than 5 foot 7. Eames could meet him eye to eye in her heels. He invited them in and turned to show them into the living room.

As he turned back around, she saw it. A 9mm, pointed right at them. There was a flash -- a loud crack as the man shot his gun - then another crack as Eames discharged her own weapon. The man fell, he was killed instantly.

There was another sound; another body hitting the floor. It was Goren.

Eames called 911 from the apartment phone. "Officer Down, assistance needed immediately". She knew that the dispatcher would know their location immediately if she called from the apartment, saving precious time to get to her partner.

She immediately saw the blood. It was gushing from his abdomen. She ran to him, straddling him and pushing her hand against the gaping hole. She was yelling at him. Pleading with him to hear her. She heard nothing in reply_. Don't cry, Alex_! She thought. _You need to be strong, you need to keep Bobby alive_.

_Where are the damn paramedics_?!

She tried to remain calm. She kept calling to him, she kept praying out loud that someone would be there soon to help her. Then she heard the sirens. She knew help was near. She was pressing on his stomach as hard as she could. She knew that if she let go, he would bleed out. There was so much blood. She kept pressing, she kept yelling his name, she kept praying.

_God, you can't take him away from me. Please_.

The paramedics rushed in. They were followed by patrol cops. There was a flood of activity, but Alex kept focused on the task at hand; keeping Bobby from bleeding out. Outside, she seemed totally in control. Inside she was falling apart. The paramedics needed to move Bobby, but they also knew that Alex was applying the pressure needed to keep him alive. Separating them meant risking losing the pressure needed to hold off the bleeding. The decision was made to move the two of them together. Bobby and Alex were both lifted onto the stretcher and put into the ambulance. The paramedics quickly began working on him.

Once inside the bus, Bobby came to. Alex was thrilled, but again, kept her cool. "Hey, partner", she said quietly as her eyes focused on his. "Hey", he paused, "what the hell happened"? Her heart leapt. "I'm still trying to figure it out. One minute we were being invited in to interview a potential witness and the next, we're being shot at… or… shot", Alex said as she watched his body flinch and twist. "Damn", he whispered, then closed his eyes.

--


	2. Chapter 2

**a/n: I forgot to mention this before chapter 1: Chapters one and two are the first fan fictions that I wrote. I started them, but then those three other stories somehow popped out of my head and got posted before this one. It's still a work in progress. Hope you like it! **

--

"Bobby! Bobby, can you hear me?", Alex was panicked thinking he was unconscious again. _Please, dear God, don't let this be happening. Not to him, not to us_. Alex was pleading in her head. _I can't lose him. Please!_

Then she heard him, his eyes were closed but spoke softly, "Damn, Eames…if I knew what would it take to get you on top of me, I would have been shot a long time ago." She could see a small smirk quickly cross his lips then disappear. _What?? Is he really joking at time like this_?

Yes! He is!

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. But Alex kept focused on Bobby, trying to keep him talking. She asked him what his badge number was -- no reply. She asked him his address -- no reply. She asked what kind of car he and Lewis were working on -- no reply. She tried to think of something she could say that would keep him talking. She thought of the only thing he said to her, that he liked her on top of him. She would try talking dirty to him. _If that doesn't get him to wake up nothing will_.

"So, Goren, you like me in this position?" She said with a sexy tone, watching him intently to see what kind of reaction she would get. Nothing. She leaned in closer. Her hair was brushing his cheek. "So, Goren, how long have you been wantin' me to climb on top of you?" Her eyes were completely focused on him. Then he spoke keeping his eyes closed. "Eames… you have no idea".

Her heart soared when she heard his reply. She kept it up, "Did you ever think of what you'd do to me if I were here like this?" The paramedics looked up, they couldn't help being curious as to what his reply would be. Alex realized they were also awaiting his answer and she glared at them. They quickly went back to keeping Goren stable.

She could hear the radio in the front of the bus and she knew they were almost at the hospital. She wanted to know if he heard her before they got there. "Bobby", she almost purred, "I asked you if you ever thought of what you'd do to me if you had me on top of you… well, can you think of what you'd like to do to me right now…if we weren't in this ambulance?" She prayed he could hear her. His eyes were still closed, but she just felt that he heard her.

And he did.

"Alex, I've been thinkin' about that for the past six years. I - I don't think you really want to hear this right here… ri - right now". She smiled to herself quickly.

The stretcher was now being pushed through the ER. She was still straddling him, still pressing into the hole in his abdomen with all of her might, keeping him alive. She leaned in one more time and whispered to him, "You can't leave me, Bobby. I need you too much. I love you." She pulled away and looked back at him. His eyes were burning deep into hers. She quickly looked around to see if they were at their destination, but they were still being rushed along. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth. He couldn't speak to her anymore but his eyes were open and locked onto her.

Captain Ross was waiting for the ambulance to arrive. He saw his two detectives being wheeled into the E.R. Eames was squatting over him, holding the wound and covered in his blood. Ross watched her as she leaned down and whispered into Goren's ear. He saw that other than a quick glance up by Eames, they never took their eyes off of each other. He wasn't surprised by any of it. He'd only been with them for a short time, but he's already learned that Goren and Eames would go to any length to protect each other. He was now witnessing that loyalty first hand.

They were wheeled directly into an operating room. At the right moment, Eames was told when to release her hands. The awaiting medical team then took over. She was hauled off of him and pushed away. Brushed aside. She slid out of the operating room and no one noticed. She felt so many overwhelming feelings. She stood there staring at the operating room doors. Willing them open. Willing to be in there, still holding him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to wake up from this awful nightmare. But there was no waking up. This was reality.

As she stood there, Ross and Logan entered the waiting room. They watched her as she leaned against the wall and slowly crumbled to the floor. She held her knees to her chest. She stayed that way for several minutes. Staring.

Neither man felt it was their place to go to her just yet. They knew she needed to do this alone, at least for a little while. Her mind was trying to grasp everything that has happened in the past 45 minutes. Could it really have only been that short of time? Could her whole life have taken an awful, terrible turn in just 45 minutes? She thought they had time. She thought they were finally on the right path. Then this.

She started to cry. Sob. Uncontrollably. She shook. She heaved. She grabbed a nearby garbage can and vomited.

Ross and Logan could only watch her. They were horrified.

She sat in a trance for what felt like forever to her. She didn't want to refocus, because reality was too overwhelming. Then she heard Logan. He was trying to engage her, to snap her out of her shock. He couldn't decide if he should touch her and tell her every thing was going to be okay or if he should get her mind on the murder investigation that they had been working on. He took a deep breath then went for it, "you know, Eames, sittin' around like a bump on a log isn't going to help anyone. Not you, not Goren, and not the case".

"**Fuck** the case, Logan!", Alex hissed as she glared at him. "Do you really think I give a rats' ass about that case? Do you really think for one second I am gonna go anywhere while my partner's in there? If you think you are gonna get me out of this room, you're a bigger asshole than anyone gives you credit for!" Logan recoiled but stayed in front of her. _I guess I chose the wrong tactic_.

Ross took this as his cue to step in. "Detective Logan, you and Wheeler will be reassigned this case, you should get your partner and get canvassing for witnesses".

Logan looked back at Eames. He softened his words, "Alex, please let me know if we can help you in any way. We'll stop back later to check on you and Goren".

Eames never looked up. "Mike, I'm sorry."

"Hey, no apologies needed. Just take care of the big guy for us". He didn't even try to giver her his grin. His heart was breaking for her. He's been watching them since he joined Major Case. He could see that there were feelings between Goren and Eames that they didn't even know were there. Watching them day in and day out, he knew they cared deeply for each other. More than just partner to partner, more than friend to friend. There was a connection. Up until recently, they didn't seem to be aware of it themselves. But Logan noticed that that changed ever since Eames was kidnapped. After that, they seemed more devoted to each other than ever before. Logan watched them after that case. Their connection seemed to galvanize and it was brought to another level. It was obvious Goren always needed Eames to ground him. But now it seemed that Eames needed Goren, too. She needed his presence to keep her at ease. Now this.

He leaned closer, rubbed her shoulder, then got up and left quickly.

Ross now moved closer to Eames. He never liked this part of his job. He looked at Eames and realized he was at a loss for words. There she was, crunched into a ball, covered in Goren's blood. He knew he had to deal with that, and he also had to get her to give a statement regarding the shooting and get her gun to ballistics. However, he also just saw Logan get his ass handed to him when he tried to mention the case. Treading lightly, he squatted down beside her.

"Detective Eames, when you feel you are ready, I am going to need you to help me with a few things. You need to give a statement, you need to give me your gun so ballistics can do their work, and you need to tell me how I can get you some clean clothes". He paused, giving her some time to take in these requests. _So far, so good. No ass reaming. _

_This next part is going to be tricky_, "Now, I have already been told by NYPD that you are listed as his medical proxy so I don't need to reach out to his family. But Detective, is there anyone I should be notifying regarding Detective Goren's current situation". _There, I got it all out. Now, I wait._

Eames sat there, trying to comprehend everything Ross just said. She new Goren had a brother, but he never spoke of him. He had just recently told her that his mom has cancer. She knew she was at Carmel Ridge, but who can tell her about Bobby? For that matter, what do you tell her? She decided to wait until she had news to tell then figure that out.

"Detective?"

She was pondering Bobby and his family and didn't realize she never even acknowledged Ross. He's waiting for a reply, and quite nervously at that. _I wonder if he thinks he might be in store for a reply like Logan got. _

_What the hell did he ask me, again? Statement, ballistics, clothes. That was it. I better answer him before he strokes out. Look at the look on his face! Bobby would love to see this. Bobby. Oh, Bobby. _

"Detective Eames, are you alright?". He was sounding overly panicked at this point. _What the hell should I do with her if she keeps sitting here like this?_

_Ross. Answer Ross. Now._

"I'm sorry, Captain", she shook her head quickly so she would focus. She was forcing herself to sound very professional. "Um, yes, I'll be ready for the statement whenever you are. Here's my gun", she un-holstered it, removed the clip and the round in the chamber. "I'll deal with notifying Bobby's mom." She hesitated, trying to remember the last thing Ross asked about. "Um, clothes, I'll call my sister and ask her to bring me something". As she said that she looked down and saw all of the blood. His blood. Her stomach lurched and she felt like vomiting again. _How can I be covered in his blood? Bobby._ Then she felt the tears coming. She couldn't stop them. She returned to the ball that she was earlier and let it out one more time.

--


	3. Chapter 3

**Shout out to Judee. Thanks for the medical terminology. You started me on the right path, but then the rest is all mine. Please forgive me if I screwed anything up here! It's just a pretend story!**

_--_

_We walk into the apartment, I see it. I pull my gun. But I'm too late. Bobby's shot. He takes a bullet right in the heart. He's gone._

"No!", Alex woke up with a start. Her first nightmare has come. She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep. She woke up on the floor, still curled up in a ball. She was surprised to see the room filled with cops; uniforms, detectives, the freakin' Chief of D's. Ross was still there. She also saw the mayor. They were all looking at Eames after hearing her shout. She wanted to melt into the floor. The chief saw her wake up, then he headed out the door. _Prick_.

Wheeler came over. _Thank God Megan is here_. "Alex, come with me." She helped Eames stand up and then lead her to the lady's room. "I brought you a change of clothes. The hospital gave me some scrubs." Eames looked at the bag that Wheeler was holding. Eames just stood there trying to grasp what she was supposed to do next. Suddenly she panicked. "Bobby! What, how… how long, I mean, where is he?!"

"It's okay, Alex, he's still in surgery. No one has been out to give an update yet. Just go in and get cleaned up. I put some soap, a towel, a toothbrush and toothpaste in there too. Oh, and the hospital also gave me a pair of slippers." Alex felt herself become dizzy and thought she might hurl again. She leaned against the wall. "Do you need help, Alex? Megan looked worried.

"I think I might need some water or some kind of food."

"Okay, I'll grab you something to eat. How does some soup sound?"

"That'd be good. But can you wait until I get back out here, just in case the doctor comes out?" Alex was starting to feel stronger as she was talking to Megan. She was looking forward to getting cleaned up. Alex went into the bathroom and began taking off her clothes. Bobby's blood was now dry and her blouse felt stiff. She removed it slowly because realized that part of her didn't want to take it off. She felt like she was separating from Bobby. _What if… and this is all I have left_? She felt the tears coming again, but this time she fought them back. _Don't do this, Alex. Get cleaned up and get out there for him. He needs you to be strong. What if the doctor is waiting to see you. _She straightened herself up and peeled off her pants. They were soaked. She washed the blood from her hands, arms and legs as best she could but he couldn't get all of it. She washed her face and brushed her teeth. _Definitely feeling better._ She removed her bra which was now a deep red instead of the pale blue it started out as this morning. She put on the scrubs and the slippers and looked at herself in the mirror. _You can do this_. She put her old clothes in the bag and went back to the waiting room.

Megan looked relieved to see Alex come out looking not quite as pale and lost as before. She made sure Alex was okay then she went out to get her some food.

Alex made her way over to Ross. "Can I get you anything, Detective?" Ross looked so concerned. She knew he really was worried. "Captain, thank you for staying here and for being patient with me. I've never been in this position before, I had no idea I would…react the way I did. I'm sorry if I said or did anything that was unprofessional."

"Eames, you just witnessed your partner get shot and then you killed a man", she winced at his words, "your reaction was completely normal. But… keep in mind, Detective, that you still have to give a statement and I believe it's in your best interest to speak to psyche services. The sooner the better." Part of Eames wanted to be mad at his suggestion, but the rest of her was relieved. He was treating her normally. She needed that. She needed to have life continue.

"Captain, as soon as I know something about Goren, I'll be ready to give my statement. As for speaking to someone, I spoke with Dr. Olivet after, you know, Jo Gage. If I need to, I'll call her again." Ross nodded his head. "Very good. I'll have someone here ready to take your statement as soon as you're able. And I do hope you call Dr. Olivet, please don't try to tough it out alone if you don't have to." _I'm not alone, I have Bobby_, Alex thought to herself silently. _Once I can see him, things will start to feel better._

Megan came back with soup, some water and a coffee. "Here you go, Alex. Look I wish I could stay, but Logan and I are…", she trailed off, not wanting to bring up the case and those memories for Alex. "Yeah, sure, no problem, Megan. Thanks for gettin' me these clothes and for the food. I'll be okay, you should go." Wheeler stood and smiled at Alex. "Call me if you need anything else. I can run by your place and get your real clothes if you want." Alex shook her head, "No, I'll call my sister and she'll run by. But thanks anyway." Wheeler nodded and walked out.

Alex drank the water and was half way through the soup when the doctor came out to the waiting room. She took one look at him and almost emptied her stomach once again.

"Detective Eames, I'm Dr. Curran. Detective Goren is in recovery. When we did a cat-scan, we found that the bullet nicked his left renal artery. We had to operate on him immediately and we were able to repair the injury." Alex stood up. She was feeling hopeful but still scared. "Doctor, will there be any lasting…" she stopped talking because she was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"No, he'll make a full recovery. He'll need to remain here for a few days so we can monitor him, to be sure that there is no infection. Then we'll discuss the options he'll have to complete his recovery."

"Okay, thank you, doctor. When can I see him?" Alex was becoming impatient. She wanted to see that his was okay with her own eyes.

"A nurse will be out to get you when he's out of recovery." With that, the doctor left and Eames sat back down.

Ross went over to her. He could see color slowly returning to her face. He sat down next to her and lightly touched her back in an effort to comfort her. Eames filled him in on what the doctor said. "That's good new, Eames. Goren is a fighter, he's going to be okay." Eames nodded her head in agreement. Ross got up, pulled out his cell phone and started dialing. He wanted to give the chief an update.

With that, her dad walked into the waiting room.

"Dad?!" She wondered how he knew.

John Eames sat down next to Eames and kissed the side of her head.

"Logan called me. How's Bobby?" Eames told her dad about everything that happened. She was proud of herself that she didn't cry once while recounting the day's events. She realized she needed to give her statement soon. Since she did it once without getting upset, she knew now's the time to be interviewed. She told Ross she was ready.

A detective brought her to the other side of the room and took her statement. John Eames watched his daughter. He was so happy it wasn't her in that recovery room. He was always so afraid to get that phone call. But since she's been partnered with Goren, he felt a little less fearful. He knows Bobby has Eames' back. He would do anything to protect her.

Once Eames was finished giving her statement, she returned to her dad.

"I called your sister, she said she'd stop at your place and pick you up some clothes. I would rather you go home and do it, but I know you. You're not planning on going anywhere are you?"

"Not without my partner." And she meant it. She was staying by his side until he didn't need her help anymore. John knew that that was a loaded statement. _In more ways than one she is never leaving his side._

They sat in relative silence compared to the rest of the room. The place was buzzing with cops streaming in and out. She was appreciative of the gesture and she made a mental note to let Goren know how many people came by to show him their support.

A couple of more hours went by. It was very late in the evening but Eames had lost all track of time. She had no idea how long they had been there, she just knew she was becoming desperate to see Bobby.

Finally a nurse came out to get her. Eames followed the nurse. "We just moved detective Goren into ICU. He is still knocked out from the medication. He should stay that way all night. I'll let you see him because I know you came in with him, but then I think it's best that you go home." _Yeah, right, like I'm going anywhere_. "Okay, sure". Alex replied, knowing full well she was staying put.

They reached Bobby's room, Alex stepped in quietly. He looked so peaceful. He had the IV tubes running into his arm but he was breathing on his own. _Y__ou'd never know that he just came close to losing his life_.

Alex stood next to him but didn't touch him for a while. She didn't want to wake him. She stood there for a long time just looking at him. Once she felt herself relaxing she became aware of how tired she was. She could feel her body begging to rest so she pulled the chair over to his side and sat down. She pulled her knees up to her chest, tilted her self sideways in the chair so her head rested on the arm closest to Goren's bed, and drifted off to sleep. The nurse came back in. She took one look at Eames, covered her with a blanket, and walked out.


	4. Chapter 4

--

Goren stirred as the sun was breaking through the blinds. He worked on opening his eyes. _Where the hell am I_? He looked around and saw Eames curled up on the chair. He moved his left arm towards her but he couldn't reach her. He fell back to sleep with his arm outstretched, Eames was just out of his grasp.

--

Alex opened her eyes a short time later. She must have sensed his movement while she was sleeping. She saw his hand was reaching out close to her. She inched the chair closer so his hand could rest against her shoulder. She laid her left arm on his bed; her fingers laying gently against his thigh. She drifted back to sleep.

--

The nurse let Ross into the room, he was happy to see Goren and Eames both asleep. He took note of the tender position they were in. _They really do need each other._ He found himself feeling jealous of the connection his detectives had.

Eames woke up again. She sat up and leaned in towards Goren. She watched him for a minute, then raised her hand closer to him and ran her fingers through his hair. She let out a big sigh of relief. Eames watched as the nurse checked his vitals. He stayed asleep through the whole thing. Eames smiled at him, "So, this is what it takes to get you to sleep?" Her fingers trailed along his jaw.

"Good morning, Eames." Ross spoke quietly but Alex still startled.

"Captain! I didn't know you were... you scared me!"

"Sorry, Eames, I didn't mean to frighten you. How is he?" Ross asked as he motioned towards Goren with his head.

"He's been sleeping, I think he woke up once," she stopped what she was going to say. How does she tell him she thinks Goren woke up because his hand was reaching out to her when she woke up? "Well, I think he did but I don't know for sure."

"Listen, if there's anything I can do, please call me. I'm going to the office. I'll be back later to check on you both." He looked at Alex, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. "Eames, don't forget to take care of yourself, too."

"I will, Captain, thank you."

Once he left, Eames used the bathroom and cleaned herself up a little. She sat down, curled up in a ball again, then fell back to sleep.

--

About an hour later, Goren woke back up. _She's __still__ here_. The events of the previous day were unclear to him. He could only remember walking into the apartment. Then, nothing. He knows he must have been shot. He figured as much due to his stomach pain and the bandages. Other than that, he didn't remember a thing.

He then turned his attention to Eames. She was still asleep. He didn't get to watch her so freely when they were working so he was relishing this chance. She looked so tiny rolled up in that chair. How long have we been here? She must be worried. He wanted to touch her, to let her know he was awake. He reached out his hand but she was too far away again. He tried to move closer but searing pain burned through his body. He gasped a little from the shock of the pain. He tried to steady his breathing to quiet himself. He closed his eyes and fell back into a medicated sleep.

--

Alex was up for a long time. The nurses tried to convince her to go home but she refused. Then they tried to order her to go and that was when Eames unleashed all of her stress and fear. "I'm this man's medical proxy, and more than that, I'm his partner. There is no way that I am leaving this room until he does. He needs me to be here in case any medical decisions have to be made. I'm all he has, so I'm not goin' any where. Got that?" The nurses never tried to tell her what to do after that. They just got used to the fact that Eames was part of the package. Soon they realized that Alex was behaving as they would have if it was their loved one in that bed.

Finally, Goren woke up. Alex jumped out of her chair, went to his side and hit the call button for the nurse. She smiled at Bobby and spoke very quietly, "Welcome back." She was tracing the back of her fingers along his forehead.

"Eames, wha… wha…"

"Shh. Just rest, Bobby. I'll explain everything soon."

"No… Eames…"

"Bobby, save your strength for the nurse. She's been waiting to see you awake." With that, a nurse came in to examine him. Alex stepped back and let her do her job. She watched as Bobby was poked and prodded and asked about a dozen questions. The nurse finished her exam and Alex once again had Bobby all to herself.

She came back to the side of his bed. He reached for her hand and their fingers intertwined. "Please, Eames. What happened?"

"Bobby, we went into an apartment while we were canvassing about a murder. The man let us in," she paused. She didn't want to overwhelm him, and she wanted to see if any of this would come back to him on his own. She didn't see a reaction from him so she continued.

"All of a sudden, the man had a gun… and… he shot you."

Bobby closed his eyes and laid there for a long time, he was trying desperately to remember. Alex thought he fell back to sleep. She tried to release her hand from his so she could reach for her chair, but he squeezed harder.

"Don't leave me," Bobby whispered.

"I never will." Alex replied. She didn't let his hand go, instead she hooked her foot around a leg of the chair and pulled it closer, then she sat down.

"Then what." His eyes were still closed.

"Sorry, I thought you fell asleep." Alex used her other hand to caress his cheek. "After that, we got you here as fast as we could. The doctor said that the bullet nicked your renal artery. They operated for what felt like forever, but they said you're gonna be just fine." Relief swept through her. She was so happy to be able to say those words to him.

"I'm tired," he took a second then continued, "Alex, you'll be here when I wake up?"

"Yeah, Bobby. I'll be here when you wake up. Just sleep and get better so we can both get out of here." She smiled at him but he was already drifting off. After about a minute, she felt his grip go slack so she knew he was out. She didn't let his hand go. Instead she rested her head on his bed and just listened to him breathe.

--

The rest of the night went pretty much the same way. Bobby would now wake up when the nurses came into check on him. Alex noticed how he was more and more alert each time they would wake him. She would wait until he fell back to sleep before she let herself drift off as well.

Morning came. Alex woke up first, and Bobby woke up soon after. The nurse suggested that while she cleaned up Bobby, Alex could also take a shower in the nurses locker room. She gave Alex another set of scrubs to use. Alex thanked her, grabbed the bag that Wheeler had given her, and then another nurse led her to the locker room.

Eames came back in to Bobby's room and she was surprised to see Bobby still awake. He took one look at her and smiled. "Wow, Eames, you look good in scrubs. Maybe you missed your calling."

Alex was happy to hear him joking. "What, Goren, is that you're way of sayin' you're tired of me?"

"No way, Eames. I would never get tired of you." He suddenly looked very serious. "It's just you look, really, well, really pretty." He shifted his eyes from her shoulders to her hair, then down her body and back up to her hair. He couldn't look her in the eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you were blushing over there." Eames smiled at him, looking a little flushed herself. "It must be the meds", she added.

Bobby just smiled and closed his eyes again. Even though he wasn't looking at her, he was picturing the way she looked right then.

He laid there long enough that he did, eventually, drift back to sleep.

--

Once Bobby was asleep, Alex used the opportunity to step outside of his room and make a phone call. She wanted to give Lewis an update and to ask him to do two favors. First, she asked him to visit Bobby's mom. Alex told Lewis he should say that Bobby is doing something undercover and he wouldn't be able to call her or visit for a few weeks. Then she asked him to go to Bobby's apartment and straighten it up as best he could. She wanted it to be clean and Alex knew Bobby wouldn't mind Lewis going in there. Of course, Lewis was more than happy to do both.

She returned to the room, just as Bobby's doctor arrived along with a nurse and three interns. They woke Bobby up to check on him.

"Hello, Mr. Goren, it's good to see you doing so well."

"Thanks to you doctor, I guess I am getting a little better all the time." He glanced at Alex as he said that. The look did not go unnoticed by the doctor.

"You know, detective, you can't just thank me. If it wasn't for your partner here, you wouldn't be lying in this hospital bed right now. She kept you alive until you got here, allowing us to do our jobs."

Bobby looked confused. His mind had still blocked out everything that had happened after he was shot. He didn't remember what she did. He looked back at Alex. He was trying to read her expression. _Is she blushing again? Why?_

"I don't remember, doctor." He needed to know what happened.

The doctor looked from Bobby to Alex. Alex had her head down in embarrassment. _Wow, she hasn't told him yet_, the doctor thought.

"Well, Detective, you were bleeding profusely from your wound. Your partner immediately began applying pressure to slow your blood loss. She held that pressure from the moment you were shot right up to when you were brought in to the operating room. Without her, you wouldn't be alive today."

Goren was stunned. He didn't remember any of that. But, at the same time, he wasn't surprised at all.

"It's nothing he wouldn't do for me." Alex said without hesitation. Bobby looked at her , still trying to read her. Alex kept her head down. _Shy? Why is she hiding her face from me_?

"I'm sure that's true Detective, but don't sell yourself short. You made it possible for us to operate and save him. We did this together."

"Thank you, doctor. I'm just happy that he's doing well", she wanted to quickly change the subject. "How long do you think he'll be here for?"

"We can move him from ICU once we feel comfortable that he is stable. Probably later today or by tomorrow. Then he'll spend a night or two in a regular room, to finish to his IV antibiotics. If he's fine after that, it will be off to a rehab to complete his recovery."

"Rehab, why?!" Bobby didn't like the sound of that. He wanted to go home.

"Mr. Goren, you will need round the clock care, you'll need to stay immobile while for several days. At least one to two weeks. For a few days you won't be able to get up other than to use the bathroom. You can't be alone for more than an hour or two at a time. Rehab is the only option since you live alone."

"No, I can stay with him." Alex wouldn't look at Bobby. She knew he was about to protest so she continued quickly. "He doesn't need constant nursing care, just someone to help him, right?" The doctor nodded the spoke, "yes, that's correct, if he was to go home, we would schedule a visiting nurse to come every day to check on your wound. Other than that, I'm sure that you could handle it."

"Well then, it's settled. Once he's ready to leave, just set up the visiting nurse and I'll take care of the rest."

"Eames..." Bobby started to speak but she glared at him so he stopped.

"Mr. Goren, we'll be back to check on you again later." The doctor and his team left Bobby and Alex alone. Alex knew what was coming.

"Eames, I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask, Bobby. I volunteered. I want to do it and guess what, I'm not takin' no for an answer." Her jaw was set and she had that look in her eyes that said 'don't fuck with me'. So he didn't.

"Alright, Eames. Have it your way. But when you get sick of me, just let me know."

"Sure, Bobby, I'll let you know." She said with a snarky tone to her voice.

--

Bobby was moved from ICU to a regular floor that evening. Both he and Eames were happy that he was progressing so fast.

The next day, Logan and Wheeler stopped in to see them.

"Well, look at you, Goren! Two days ago, who would have thought that you'd be laying here looking so good right now?"

"Nice to see you back in one piece, Bobby." Megan said as she put her hand on Alex's shoulder.

"Yeah, poor Alex here. I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown in that waiting room." Alex glared at him but, Mike being Mike, continued anyway, "you should have seen her, Goren, covered in your blood, throwing up, she even tore me a knew one when I suggested that she think about the case… Man, I'll never make that mistake again."

"Logan, you're makin' an even bigger one runnin' your mouth the way you are right now." Alex was not happy with him. She didn't want Bobby to know what happened in the waiting room, that she reacted like that.

"Mike, if I were you I'd just tell Goren it's good to see him and get the hell out of here while you can still walk." Wheeler raised her eyes at him so he would shut up.

Logan took the hint, "okay, well, it's been good to see you, Goren. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. You, too, Eames. Really."

"Logan, you've done enough." Alex wasn't ready to play nice with him. She just wanted him to leave.

"Megan, thanks for coming and also for the bag of clothes and stuff. I really needed it."

"Anytime, Alex. Please call me if I can do more."

With that, Wheeler and Logan left.

Goren knew better than to question Eames about what Logan said. Nonetheless, he repeated it in his head over and over. Pieces of the day were being put together for him. The puzzle was getting completed little by little.

_I was shot, Alex compressed my wound. She must have been sitting on top of me applying pressure. That's how she became covered in my blood. She was freaked out. She vomited? She screamed at Mike? She needed all new clothes. That's why she has the scrubs on. She saved my life._

He knew if Mike hadn't told him about Alex in the waiting room, he never would have known. There is no way she would ever tell him about that. _My God, what she must have been going through._

She was across the room by the window. Leaning against the air conditioner. He thought she looked so beautiful, especially how the sunlight brightened her face and her hair. She looked exhausted but more relaxed than she had in the ICU room. His thoughts about Eames brought him back to the puzzle he was trying to piece together. _What the hell really happened_?

She knew what was rolling around in his head. He was connecting the dots. She could kill Logan for telling Goren about the waiting room. There was no reason for Bobby to know any of that. Knowing him, he'll end up feeling guilty for putting her through that. He didn't need that while he was recovering. She made a mental note to rip into Logan again at the next chance she had.

Ross called and Eames explained to him that she would need time off. At least two weeks. He said he understood. _That was easy_, she thought.

Then she called her sister. She asked her to pack her a suitcase and gave a quick list of the things she would need. Her sister said to call her once they were on their way to Bobby's and she would meet them there. She also said she would stop at the store and get some food for them.

Everything was in place. Now, Alex just wanted to get Bobby home.

They spent one more day in the hospital. They tried to sleep, but were constantly interrupted by the medical staff. They were exhausted. Bobby was given pain meds and oral antibiotics. A nurse also wrapped his stomach in gauze to keep his wound protected for the ride home. It had to be removed once they were there. Alex was given some extra bandages and a quick tutorial on how to change his dressing after he showered. _Uh, oh, I didn't really think that part through_, she thought. Bobby heard the showering part and had a jolt of panic go through him as well, _how is __that__ gonna work_?

So, off they went with their meds, their bandages, and their anxiety about what the next two weeks were really going to be like.

--

**a/n: Phew. I didn't think they were ever going to leave that darn hospital. Okay, on to the recovery.**


	5. Chapter 5

--

Bobby opened his apartment door. He stood there for a minute to take in the smell. He was finally home. But, it was different. _Why does it smell weird? What's going on_?

He stepped in further and found his apartment to be immaculate. He froze in place.

Alex was right behind him. She saw his apprehension. "I asked Lewis to come by and straighten up the place…I guess he took it a little to far?" She was nervous that he wasn't happy.

"No, no. It looks…great. Really. Thank you. I just…wasn't expecting it. Thank you for doing that, and for having Lewis do it." Alex was still standing behind him while she watched him survey surroundings, she smiled to herself.

"I was afraid you wouldn't be happy, but at the same time, I wanted you to come home to a nice place." Then she continued, "Bobby, I'm wiped out so you must be exhausted, let's get you in bed."

"Yeah, the trip over hear took a lot out of me. I could go for a nap."

"Oh, before you lay down, I have to remove the gauze." Alex stepped towards him.

She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and looked at him expectantly. He sat down on the edge of his couch and raised his arms as she carefully pulled his shirt off of him. As much pain as he was in, he still felt his body tingle at the thought of Eames undressing him. "You know, Eames, I can take my own shirt off." He hid his smile.

She got a little embarrassed, "oh, sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking."

"I wasn't complaining." Now he let the smirk out.

"Stand back up." She went back to work and tried to ignore him.

He stood back up and she moved in close to. She unfastened the clip on the gauze and began to slowly pull it off.

"We may need this again, so I'll roll it up as I go." As she said this, she was rolling the gauze little by little as she unwrapped his abdomen. When she got to his back, instead of walking around him, she leaned in close and reached around his back moving the roll from her left hand to her right. Then she stepped back a little when the roll passed along his stomach. She repeated this process 5 more times until he was free of the gauze.

Each time she stood closer, her breasts would slightly press against Bobby's bare chest. Each time she did that, both Bobby and Alex felt heat rise inside of them. He was trying to figure out how he could get her to wrap him up in it again. He loved the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest. Alex loved to be able to touch his abdomen and his back. By the third time she moved in close, he could feel her nipples against him. He froze. On the fifth and last time, she rested her forehead against his chest and hesitated. Before she pulled away, she drew her head back then kissed the spot where her forehead had been. Goren gulped so loud they both heard him. She stepped back and handed him his t-shirt. She couldn't look at him.

Then Alex followed Bobby into his bedroom. He went over to the right side of the bed and sat down. She went over to him. She knelt down and pulled his sneakers off of him. He was in sweatpants and had his t-shirt back on. She pulled back his covers, then lifted his legs while he shifted his hips backwards. She pulled the covers over him and tucked the blankets up around him.

"Do you need anything, Bobby?"

"I-I don't think so."

Alex walked around to the other side of the bed. She pulled open the covers and laid down. "I'll lay here for a while to make sure you sleep, then I'll go out to the couch."

They both fell asleep within minutes.

--

Bobby woke up a few hours later. He thought about how good it felt to wake up in his own bed. Then he saw Alex. She was snuggled up in a ball right beside him. He watched her for a few minutes and thought that waking up in his own bed felt even better than ever with her in it. He wanted to reach out to her so badly, but he resisted. It killed him to leave her be, but he knew he had to.

--

Alex finally woke up. It was late afternoon. As she focused on the room, she looked towards Bobby. He was awake and looking at the ceiling.

"Hey, how are you? Why didn't you wake me?"

Goren turned his head toward her. He couldn't turn his body. "I'm fine. I wanted you to rest. You must be as tired as I am. You couldn't have gotten a lot of sleep in the hospital."

"Yeah, the sleep did feel good." She was about to continue when she heard a knock on the door. She got up to answer it, figuring it was her sister. It was.

"Hey Lex, you didn't call, but I figured you were home so I wanted to drop these things off to you." Goren stayed in bed but heard them talking. _Lex_? _I didn't know anyone called her that._

"Hi, Beth. Thanks. I'm sorry I didn't call you. We ended up falling asleep as soon as we got here. Thanks for doin' all of this." Goren could hear a suitcase being wheeled in. Then the sound of paper grocery bags being placed on the kitchen counter.

"So, how is he?"

"We just woke up from a nap. I think the sleep did him good. And I certainly needed it."

"We, Lex? Where was this nap?" Goren couldn't see Beth, but he could imagine the look on her face. She wasn't missing a thing.

Alex chose to give her a glare and ignore her. She figured Bobby could hear them.

"The nap felt great, but I still feel like I can sleep for days." Alex gave her sister a look as if to say, 'drop it'. And she did.

"Okay, well, tell Bobby I said hello and I hope he feels better soon. Oh, and Lex, don't think I don't realize what this did to you, too. I'm worried about you. We all are." Beth was smart enough to know that Bobby could hear her. She wanted to make sure that he took care of Alex the same way she was taking care of him. _Don't worry_. _Message received, loud and clear_, Bobby thought to himself.

Beth left and Alex bolted the door behind her. _I really hope no one else comes here tonight._

Alex went into the kitchen. Beth had prepared them with several days of food. As Alex put the food away, she took note of how good it felt to be in Bobby's apartment being 'domestic'. She loved how comfortable she felt moving about his place. _I think I could easily get used to this._

When she was done with the groceries she went in to check on him. He was asleep again so she decided to take a shower. Afterward, it felt so good to her to get into her own clothes. She chose a pair of pink plaid flannel pajama bottoms and a navy blue "Property of NYPD" tank top. No bra, no socks.

She went back out to the kitchen to make something for dinner. She knew he had to be hungry, but his diet was limited. She looked through all of the things that Beth brought and decided to make a quick vegetable soup. She cut up some fresh carrots, squash and onions while she waited for the water to boil. Once the water was ready, washed and cut some green beans. Then she threw in some beef bullion and the veggies. When that was boiling again, she added in some elbow pasta. While that was cooking, she preheated the oven for some dinner rolls that were in the freezer. She pulled out two, put them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven.

About a half hour later, the food was ready.

Bobby ate in bed while Alex pulled up a chair and sat along side of him. She was so happy to see him eating. "Sleeping in your own bed seems to agree with you. You look better already." Alex smiled at him.

"I feel better, too. The sleep really helped, and this soup is great. How did you make it so quickly?"

"Well, you know, Goren. I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. I can't give everything away." She gave him a sly grin and he nodded in return and replied, "well, I guess I have something to look forward to then." She was so happy that he was readily accepting her into his home.

The rest of the evening was quiet. After they ate, Alex cleaned up from dinner than stayed in the living room for a little while to give Bobby the alone time she knows he is used to. But now it was late and she felt tired again. She knew she had to help him get to the bathroom. She also knew that he was freaking out about the idea that she had to help him. But Alex didn't care. She was going to approach helping him with the detachment of a stranger. She was hoping he would be put at ease by handling his care that way.

--

_Now comes the tricky part_. Bobby knew he needed to use the bathroom before trying to sleep for the night. He also knew that in order to get there, he needed Alex's help. _How the hell is this really going to work_? While he laid in bed he tried to figure it all out. He was beginning to panic.

--

She went to the bedroom door but stopped when she saw him. He was laying there quietly, so obviously lost in his head that he didn't even notice her there. _I wonder if he's trying remember what happened_? _Or, he's in the middle of freaking out because I'm here_. She finally decided to knocked quietly. "Hey, Bobby. Why don't we get you to the bathroom so you can settle in for the night." She moved to the side of the bed and helped him slide his legs off of the bed and then guided his upper body into a sitting position. "Okay so far?" He nodded. "Good, but let's sit here a minute so you can get your bearings." They waited for a little bit. Then when he was ready, he put his hands on her shoulders as he slowly stood up.

He realized just then how much he hated this. He hated needing someone to help him to do the simplest of things. Alex looked at him and knew exactly what he was thinking. "Bobby, it's only for a little while and I don't mind one bit. I'm happy to be here. Let's just go through the motions and not think about it. Before you know it, you won't need me here anymore." His mind reacted first to her last statement, he would always need her with him, but he knew he couldn't say what he was thinking. Instead he replied, "Okay, Eames. I hear you. Let's just get this done. Thanks." With that Alex led Bobby into the bathroom.

"I'll wait outside ... call me when you're done or if you need help." _Yeah, I'm gonna call you if I need help in the bathroom_! Goren gave her an exasperated look. She picked up on his thinking. With that, Alex turned and closed the door.

--

As Alex waited for Bobby she thought for the first time of where she was going to sleep. She wanted to stay with him. Actually, she was determined to do so. He might need her in the middle of the night. But, she figured he would need some convincing.

Bobby opened the door and they went back to the bedroom. She helped him lay back down, adjusted his pillows and straightened his blankets. She didn't see the look on Bobby's face as she took care of him. _This is the second time today she tucked me in to bed. This is really nice_. Bobby thought to himself but made sure not to let on how happy he was.

"So, Bobby... we haven't talked about where I'm gonna sleep. I thought - ", she got that far and stopped as Bobby put his left hand up. "Stay in here with me, Eames." Alex was not expecting that. She must have looked as shocked as she was. Bobby continued, "I can usually deal with sleeping on my couch, but I know it's really not that comfortable or else I would stay out there now. You've helped me so much, I feel bad making you sleep on it when I have a king size bed that we'll both have plenty of room in." She was still looking at him like he suddenly sprouted antlers. He became panicked. _Did I overstep my bounds? Look at her, she's horrified_! "U-um, I mean, a-actually, just help me up and I-I'll take the c-couch."

"No, Bobby! You're right, it makes sense for me to stay here. It's just, well, I thought you'd hate the idea. I thought I'd have to convince you. But, I should stay in here. Ya know, in case you need something in the middle of the night."

Bobby did his best to fight back a grin. He thought he was happy before, now he's thrilled. "Good, then it's settled... are you okay on that side of the bed or do you want to switch?" Bobby was laying to the left of Alex. She hasn't slept with anyone in a long time. But, with Joe, she slept on the side Goren was now occupying. She decided to stay where she was because she couldn't make him move. "No, this is good," she answered but he looked at her questioningly. She saw his look and added, "I'll be fine," as she tossed her hair back a little and smiled at him. He nervously smiled back.

"Okay, well, I'll be right back." She went to the bathroom, then came back into the room a few minutes later. She stayed in the clothes she was already in. She got Bobby some water, gave him his meds and then moved to "her side" of the bed. "Night Bobby. Please nudge me if you need anything tonight", she said that as she leaned over and turned off the lamp.

"G'night, Eames. Uh, sleep well." _'Nudge me if you need anything.' I'll nudge you, alright. God…You shouldn't give me thoughts like that, Eames. Actually, I shouldn't be thinking them. I'm a pig. _

Then, they both laid there. Staring at the ceiling in the dark. It was quiet…so quiet in the room. Alex was about to scream. They laid there for a while, then Alex couldn't take it anymore.

"It's too quiet and I'm not real sleepy anymore. I think I'm gonna go watch some tv."

"Sorry, Eames. Yeah, I'm used to watching tv before I sleep, too. That's why I sleep on the couch a lot."

"Hey, how about I bring my laptop in and we can watch a movie here?" Without waiting for an answer, Alex turned on the lamp and went to get her laptop. She brought in his case of movies and handed it to him. She smoothed out the blankets then looked around the room. She found a spare pillow on the floor and brought it to the bed. She got on the bed and then put the pillow in between them, down by their feet. Then she set the laptop on top on it and sat there while she got it running and ready for the movie. He pretended to be looking through the case, but he was really watching her. He loved that she was there moving about his bed setting up for the movie. He tried to imagine what it would feel like if this was normal. That she was there all the time. _I wish she was here all the time. _When she was done she looked over at him. He quickly looked back at the movies so she didn't catch him looking at her.

"You're choice, Eames." She started to protest but he insisted. "You're helping me out, the least I can do is watch what you want to watch."

"Well, since you put it that way..." She smiled at him as moved towards him then plopped herself down on the bed and started looking through the movie case. She heard him breathe sharply and looked up at him. "Bobby, oh God, I didn't mean to sit down so hard. I moved the bed too much? Did it hurt you?" She crawled closer to him and sat back on her legs.

"I'll be okay, sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." She ran her left hand along his right arm while she looked at him to see if he was still in pain. _Her fingers are so warm and soft_.

"Let me make sure your bandages are okay." Alex said this as she used both hands to carefully raise Bobby's t-shirt up so she could check his wound. He intensely watched her every move. Then she used her left hand as support on the bed as she took her right hand and carefully touched around the outside of the bandages. Just then she was overwhelmed with the emotions she had kept bottled up over the last three days. _Thank God he's here and he's alive_. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She was fighting them from falling. Then she leaned down across his stomach and placed a few feather light kisses on his skin around the bandages. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. _She looks so beautiful, stretched out over me_. He felt her hair as it lightly brushed against his skin. Then he saw her tears start to fall.

He whispered to her. "Eames...I'm alright, I'm going to be alright."

She looked up at him. She tried to smile but she was still working through the pain of almost losing him.

"I don't know what I would have done if you died." Her voice was soft. As she sat up, she let her fingers graze across his belly button. Then she sat up straight and she took his right hand. She raised it up and kissed the back of his fingers. He opened his hand and turned it so her jaw rested on his palm. Then he brushed his thumb across her lips. She felt her body react to his touch. She slightly opened her mouth as he continued with his thumb; slowly tracing first her upper lip, then the lower. Before he could pull his hand away, she gently kissed his thumb as she closed her eyes.

Knowing he was in no shape to respond to her kiss, he removed his hand. They both sat there for a minute in silence. Finally, she broke the spell.

"How about Stand My Me?"

"Good choice, classic movie. I haven't watched it in years."

With that, she popped the movie in. She turned out the light and laid down. Before they knew it, they were both sound asleep.

--


	6. Chapter 6

--

_Goren and Eames waited for the door to open. The person was taking a very long time. She heard the deadbolt unlock and the door knob turn. Then shots rang out. Goren was killed instantly._

"Bobby! Noooo!" Eames flew out of bed. She was shaking. Bobby was awake already. He had heard her whimpering and felt her shaking. He realized she was having a bad dream, but she screamed out before he could wake her.

"Eames. Alex. It was only a nightmare. I'm here. Shhhh. I'm fine. I'm here, okay?" It was killing him that he couldn't jump up and hold her.

She was breathing heavily. "Oh, God. Bobby, I'm sorry. It's just, I had an awful dream." She laid back down, but moved closer to him. He reached out and took her hand. "I'm here, Eames. Go back to sleep." Her breathing evened out and sleep overtook her again. Bobby didn't take his eyes off of her.

Morning came. Eames woke up to find Goren watching her. She felt her body flush with warmth. _What I wouldn't give to wake up every day just like this_. He waited to speak until he knew she was not going to fall back to sleep. "Morning, Eames."

She looked at him and laughed. "Bobby, I'm in your bed, the least you can do is call me Alex!"

"Okay. ALEX. How did you sleep?" He was wondering if she remembered her nightmare.

"Really well. How about you?" She asked him as she got up. "I slept great." He lied, but she didn't know that. He never sleeps well, although last night felt great because she was there.

"I'm going to hit the bathroom really fast then I'll help you, okay?" She didn't wait for his answer. He laughed to himself. _I'll wait for you forever, Eames. _

She returned with her hair in a ponytail in an effort to conceal bed head. "Okay, you're turn." They repeated the process of getting him up. He felt stiff and sore but he was definitely a lot better. While he was in the bathroom, she got his meds ready and put them next to his side of the bed.

Bobby stepped out of the bathroom. "Uh, Eames", she gave him a frustrated look, "sorry, it's hard for me to call you Alex all the time."

"Well, try. You might find you like it." Eames snarked at him.

"How about I call you Eames, unless we're in bed. Then I'll call you Alex." As he said the words, he wished he could take them back. In one way, it sounded so wonderful to be talking to her about being in his bed, but at the same time he felt what he said was completely inappropriate. As if he assumed she would always be in his bed. _Don't I wish_.

She didn't miss a beat. "Okay, Bobby, that's a deal." She smiled triumphantly at him.

"Anyway, I was going to say I think I would like to take a shower. The n-nurse at the h-hospital gave you some fresh bandages, r-right?" He started stammering thinking about how this whole shower scene was going to go down.

She forced herself not to smile. She knew how nervous he was.

"Sure, Bobby, let's get you showered."

She got a change of clothes for him then followed him back into the bathroom. She put the clothes on the counter, then found a towel and tucked onto a hook near the shower. She was relieved that he had a shower and not a tub. It will be a lot easier for him, she won't have to help him in and out of it.

"Okay, do you need help with your shirt?"

"Uh, uh, no." He grinned at her remembering how she helped him when they got home. Then he pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it into his laundry basket.

"I'm impressed you have one of those," she motioned towards the basket, "I figured you for one of those 'drop the clothes anywhere' types." She didn't really, but she was trying to break the tension.

"C'mon Ea - Al - Eames, " he raised his eyes at her as if to say 'yes, I can call you Eames right now'. Then he continued, "I'm military, you really think I could throw my clothes around?" He laughed a little at her.

"It's nice to see that training stuck. That's all I'm sayin'." She laughed along with him. Then went back to the task at hand.

"Now for the bandages." She got right up next to him and put her hands on either side of his wound. "Please let me know if this hurts at all." She tilted down slightly in order to get a good look at what she was doing. All Bobby wanted to do was to touch her. _Just a hand on her back. Or her hair. Or maybe her arm._ He was lost in thought when he heard her speak again.

"There, it's off. That wasn't so bad, right?" She looked up at him.

"No, nothing bad about that." He was hoping his eyes weren't betraying his thoughts.

"I'll be right outside if you need anything." Then she left.

A minute later he called her. She opened the door.

"Alex."

"I told you, you only have to call me Alex in bed." She was being playful.

"Well, I think you'll want me to call you Alex for this next question."

"You're scarin' me a little, Goren." She threw the Goren in there for safe measure.

"Alex. I can't get my pants off because I can't bend down."

He waited for her brain to catch up to what he already figured out. He not only needed help getting his pants off, but also his underwear. And if he can't get them off, he certainly can't get new ones back on. He watched her face as it dawned on her. She turned bright red.

"Oh, my. I see why you called me Alex." She was trying to hide her embarrassment. Joking was such an easy deflection for her. Of course, Bobby knew just what she was doing.

"Why don't we wait for that nurse to show up." He was giving her an out.

"No." Stubborn Eames was suddenly emerging. "No, Bobby. We can't wait for a nurse every time you need to shower."

"Why not?" He was serious.

"Because. Well, she's only comin' here to check on you. She won't have the time to sit around while you shower. Let's just do this already."

He was now somewhat amused by her determination. He was still mortified, but watching her was a great distraction.

She grabbed his towel. "Here, wrap this around your waist." He did what was commanded. He kept his hands on the towel to ensure it didn't slip off.

"I'm gonna reach under the towel and pull down your pants."

Eames went to kneel down, but got that visual in her head and quickly thought better of it. Instead she chose to lean slightly. She reached her hands under and put them on the outside of his thighs. Then she guided her hands up until she reached the waistband of his sweat pants. She grabbed a hold of the front of them and gently tugged on them. She was careful to pull them away from his body a little, so the material didn't get 'stuck' on anything down there. She got them all the way down, then she squatted as he lifted his feet and she freed him of his pants.

One down. Now, the interesting part.

Eames couldn't look at him. Which was good because Bobby couldn't look at her either.

Without another thought, she stood up and reached back under the towel.

This time, as her hands ran up his thighs, all she felt was Bobby's skin. She couldn't help but notice how muscular his legs were. She imagined her legs intertwined with them. She caught her breath.

Bobby felt her hands and his eyes immediately fluttered close.

She grabbed onto the waist of his boxers. His instinct was to help her, but now he was really afraid to let the towel fall. So he ended up just standing there feeling helpless. He kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see her reaction if she saw or touched something she wasn't planning on. He was also trying desperately to not let his mind think about what Alex was doing.

She began to slide the boxers down. Just like the sweats, she pulled them toward her, so they didn't rub up against his cock. Bobby felt her doing that. Part of him was grateful, but another part got really jealous. _Who the hell taught her to do that_? He didn't like that she knew to do that at all. Just the thought of her being with another guy sent him into a really bad mood.

By now, Alex had his boxers around his ankles. "Okay, Bobby, just step out of them and you're all set to go." She looked at him and was surprised to see him glaring at her.

"Did I do something wrong?" She asked quickly.

"No. I just want to get in the shower." She stood up, glared back at him, then left him alone.

What the hell was that all about? She sat on the couch and rubbed her eyes. She was still exhausted from stress and from losing so much sleep while they were in the hospital. She didn't even think of it as just Bobby being there. They both went through it she thought. They both suffered, their pain just took different forms.

Bobby got into the shower. He was trying to enjoy the feeling of being wet and clean, but his mind kept drifting back to Alex. He thought how her lips felt on his chest and his stomach. How she looked first thing in the morning. How her hands felt as they skimmed up his legs. He was driving himself crazy. Then he thought of her sister calling her 'Lex'. _Why didn't I know that people called her that? And who else does? Did any boyfriends call her Lex? Did Joe_? Then the thought of Joe or some boyfriend calling her Lex as she carefully pulled down their boxers put him into a tailspin. He couldn't stop himself from imagining the worst possible scenario; her with anyone but him. Before he knew it the water felt cold. He had been standing in there long enough to run out of hot water.

He tried to make himself stop thinking but he couldn't. The pictures were twirling around in his brain. He turned off the water but stood there not moving.

He must have been in there for a long time because he heard Alex knock at the door.

"Bobby, did you drown in there or somethin'?" _Hm, yeah, or somethin', Eames_.

"I'll be right out, okay?" He said it a little harsher than he had expected. He tried to soften it as he opened the door. "I - I'm sorry, Eames. I was just a little distracted."

"Yeah, I'd say so. People talk about girls takin' a long time in the shower but you got me beat."

He chuckled at her comment. His laugh made her smile. Not just a smile to pacify Bobby, but a real smile that brightened up her whole face. He took in the site before him. There she was hair in a ponytail and bare feet. _God, she looks adorable in that ponytail. _He couldn't help but feel like he was getting a brief peek at a younger version of Alex. One he never knew. One that would walk around all day in bare feet if she felt like it. One that wasn't dragged down day in and day out by dead bodies, a dead husband, and a partner that knew how to work her last nerve. He wanted to grab a hold of her and promise her that he could give her back those carefree days. He wanted to be the one who made her smile like she is now every single day for the rest of her life. But truth be told, he didn't know if he could. _Maybe she needs more than me, better than me. Someone who can make her happy. I can't even make myself happy, how can she trust me to do that for her_? He could feel himself getting really crabby and really tired.

That's when he realized that he was standing there, wrapped in a towel. He was jarred back to reality with the sight of Alex squatted in front of him, waiting for him to lift his feet. He looked down to see her staring up at him with a look on her face that sent him reeling. She realized he was in his head again, but instead of drawing him out, she watched him. She was trying to figure out what was going on in there. As she looked up at him, she was touched by just how sexy he was. She was looking at his chest and how the towel was wrapped around his waist. She was imagining him standing there without a towel on. _Oooh, that would be a very nice sight_, she thought wickedly.

That's when her eyes met his and she snapped back to reality.

He saw the look of desire on her, he read her perfectly. Here was Alex, kneeling before him and looking up with the sexiest look he has ever seen on her. It was almost more than he could take.

"Feet." He heard her say.

"Uh, oh. Okay." That was all he could manage. He was surprised he could even lift his feet at that point. Then he realized that she was going to be pulling his boxers up much the same way she pulled them down. He panicked. She was about to come in close contact with his very aroused cock.

"Eames. Alex. Hold - uh - hang on - uh s-stop a second." His eyes were wide.

_What the __hell__ is his problem_?

He wrapped the towel extra tight and tucked in the corner of it, giving it a little tug to make sure it was secure. Then he slowly bent forward the slightest bit and helped her guide the shorts far away from himself. She was looking at him with a perplexed look on her face.

"Now the pants." He said to her. He wanted to get this over with and get her away from him as quickly as possible. Without looking at her, he lifted his feet one by one. She pulled them up and just as she got up to his hips, he released the towel and helped her pull the pants all the way up.

_I've gotta be better soon or else she's gonna be the death of me_.

He went to put his shirt on.

"Not so fast, Goren…I have to put new dressing on your wound."

_Oh, God, she has to touch me again_? _I am never going to survive two weeks of this._

--

**I hope everyone is enjoying this still!**


	7. Chapter 7

--

"You've been up for a while, why don't you lay back down and I'll put the new bandages on you." Alex was trying to break the tension and she thought a change of scenery would do them both good. She led him back into bed, then sat on the edge of it as she got out the fresh bandage. _I have to do something to get my mind off of touching him. _

As she tended to his wound, she spoke, "You know, Goren, when you were in the operating room, there were a lot of people who came to check on you. Ross stayed the whole time. Everyone from Major Case came by. There were guys from narcotics, detectives, patrolmen; some I knew or recognized and some I didn't. CSU techs came in. Even the Chief of D's was there for a while." She was almost done with the bandage.

"I bet he was there hoping for an entirely different outcome."

"Leave it to you, Bobby, to focus on that one negative person instead of everyone else who were there because they care about you." She stood up once she was done. Goren already missed her touching him.

"You're right, Eames. I'm sorry. That was really… nice of everyone." He continued. He wanted to ask her about what Logan said about the waiting room. But he didn't think the time was right yet.

"So, do you want to watch another movie?" Alex asked. "You can pick something out while I get you some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry, I usually don't eat much in the morning. But go ahead and get something, I'll be fine here with my book."

_He wants to be alone_, Eames thought. "Okay, I'll be in the living room if you need anything. She went to the kitchen, grabbed a yogurt, then went to the couch. She watched the news for a little while, then Regis and Kelly. _Nice, mindless TV, just what I need_. Then she got up and went to check on him. She was going to take a shower.

Goren put his book down when she came in the room. He watched her dig through her suitcase.

"Hey Eames, listen. I don't use the bottom dresser drawer. Why don't you put your stuff in it."

"I don't know, Goren." She was about to say more but he jumped in.

"You're gonna be here for a while, so you might as well stop living out of a suitcase and settle in. I mean, it just make sense." He suddenly realized how much he wanted to entrench her further into his world.

"Well, since it makes sense, okay." She turned from him so he didn't see the smile that she couldn't help from forming.

"There's plenty of room for your stuff in the bathroom, too."

"Alright, I'll unpack then take a shower. You don't mind if I'm in here with you for a little while?"

"No, not at all. Oh, if you need to hang anything, feel free to use the closet, too." He had picked up his book again, trying to make it look like it's no big deal.

Eames set out unpacking her things. She put her clothes in the dresser. She put her sneakers in the closet. She grabbed her toiletries and brought them in the bathroom. She didn't have too many things. She put her shampoo and conditioner in the shower, her lotion on the counter, her makeup and brush in a drawer, and finally put her toothbrush in the glass that Goren used to hold his. She looked at the two toothbrushes next to each other and smiled. _It just looks so right, having my stuff in here_. Then she went back to the bedroom. She took out a book and a small pouch and put them on "her" nightstand. When she was done, she slid her suitcase under the bed. All the while, Goren kept an eye on her. His heart was filled with happiness. _Now, if I can just get her to stay._

"Okay, I'm gonna take a shower." She got out some new clothes and left the room.

A short time later she returned. She was in dark jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt. Goren noticed immediately that he could see her bra through her shirt. That revelation was followed by an immediate stirring in his groin. She went over to her side of the bed, sat down, and picked up the pouch. She pulled out her earrings and put them in.

Just as she stood up, there was a knock on the door.

Eames answered the door, it was the nurse. She let the nurse in.

"Good morning Mrs. Goren, my name is Wendy Campbell. I'm the nurse who will be coming to check in on your husband. I hope I'm not too early."

"Hi, I'm… I'm Alex." Eames didn't correct her. "Bobby's right in here."

Eames led Wendy into the bedroom. "Honey, this is Wendy. She'll be your nurse." Bobby looked very confused. Eames continued, "Wendy, this is Bobby."

"Hi Bobby, how are you feeling today?"

"Uh, good. Better." He was still looking at Eames, searching for an explanation as to why she called him 'honey'.

"Glad to hear it." Wendy went to work, taking his temperature, his blood pressure, and listening to his lungs. "Good. Now let's check out that wound." She lifted his shirt and carefully removed the bandage. She leaned in for close inspection.

"Very nice. You're healing perfectly. Your wife is taking excellent care of you."

The light went on in Bobby's head. _So, the nurse assumed Eames was my wife, and Eames didn't correct her. _

"Yes, my wife is taking wonderful care of me. I couldn't ask for more." Eames blushed and Goren had to stifle a laugh.

"Alright then. Here are some fresh bandages. If you are all set, I'll be going."

"Yes, Wendy, I think we're all set." Eames started walking her to the door.

"See you in two days, Mrs. Goren. Bye!" With that, Eames closed the door and went back to see Bobby.

"Mrs. Goren, huh?" He was laughing at her.

"Well, she just assumed it and I felt bad correcting her." Eames was blushing again. She was suddenly feeling bold so as she started to walk out of the room she added, "besides, kind of has a nice ring to it."

Goren stopped. "What?"

She didn't reply. She stood outside of his room and grinned to herself.

He laid there in disbelief.

--

"…and that's how we got the nickname "Hurricane Alex and the Wind Sisters."

Goren was laughing out loud. He had asked Eames about her high school friends. He was trying to pull out the young Eames again. So he asked her about her old friends and that turned into story after story of their escapades.

She had him in stitches about her high school glory days.

They finished out the remainder of the afternoon with lunch and another movie.

The movie turned into a nap.

Then, Alex got the paper, and they lounged around in the afternoon quietly reading the paper.

Alex was lost in the paper, but Goren had another agenda.

--

"Who calls you Lex?"

She was puzzled. "Where did that come from?"

"I want to know, that's all."

"Bobby, for someone who can't even call me Alex, why do you care about who calls me a nickname? It's not like you're gonna use it!"

"**JUST TELL ME**." He growled. His impatience was growing exponentially. His tone made her realize that her answer meant a lot to him.

"Geez, alright. My family and old friends. Which really means just my family these days; I've lost touch with most of my old friends since I've been at Major Case." He picked up on her wistful tone. He would remember to ask her about her old friends again.

"No one else?" He was now using his interrogation voice.

"I don't know who you want me to say, Bobby. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? Yeah, okay, they call me Lex, too." Now she was aggravated.

"Eames!" He took a deep breath. "Don't be snarky, just tell me, does anyone else call you Lex?!"

"What the hell, Bobby? What's gotten into you?" She was now past aggravated and is officially pissed.

It dawned on him that by getting so demanding, he now had to give her an explanation as to why it mattered to him. _Shit, How do I tell her why I want to know?_

"You now what, never mind, Eames. Just drop it." He noticed she was mad and was giving him a look that let him know she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

"No way, Bobby. You asked, I answered. But for some reason my answer wasn't good enough for what ever you have goin' on up there", she pointed to his head, "so now you have to tell me why. What's so important about my nickname?"

He took a deep breath. She knew him too well, he wasn't going to get away with anything but the truth.

"Okay. I heard your sister call you Lex. I never heard anyone call you that before. So, it got me thinkin'."

"What doesn't get you thinkin'?"

He gave her a look that said shut-up. "This is hard enough without your sass."

"Sorry...by all means... go on." She said sarcastically as she rolled her hand out to gesture him to continue. She knew behaving like this was making it worse for him but she didn't care; he pissed her off.

"Anyway." He closed his eyes for the next part. "Hearing her call you Lex got me thinkin',". He waited for her to say something again. She didn't. He continued. "I started wondering who else calls you Lex."

"And I told you."

"**Do your boyfriends call you that**?" The words spewed out of him like venom. _Man, Goren, talk about laying your cards on the table! _He kept his eyes closed.

Alex was stunned by his words and his anger. She let it sink in before she replied. _So that's what gotten him so cranky_. When she did reply, she spoke softly so he knew she wasn't judging or teasing. "No, Bobby. No. But Joe used to. We met when I was called that a lot so he picked up on it. As I got older and I was on the job, people started calling me Alex. Or... Eames." She was hoping he would open his eyes. She wanted him to see her when she said what she needed to tell him. He kept them closed. She leaned closer to him and touched his arm. "Bobby, I don't miss being called Lex." She paused so he could take in what she meant. Then she continued, "And as much as I tease you about it, I like it when you call me Eames."

He opened his eyes and found her smiling at him. He felt himself relax.

"Except, of course, when we're in bed. Then, I do insist on Alex." Her smile grew larger and his heart pounded at the sight of her.

He laid there for a few minutes taking in all that she just said. He didn't really know what to do next. So he went with the safe thing; changing the subject.

"My mom, I should call her."

Eames followed his lead.

"Well, I asked Lewis to call her. He ended up going to visit her. He told her that you were on an assignment and that you wouldn't be able to call or visit for a couple of weeks. He said she was so happy to see him that she didn't seem upset that it wasn't you. I know he was plannin' on going up to see her again over the weekend."

"Good, good. So she's doing alright."

"Yeah. I mean, you can call her anytime, but I wanted to give you some time to heal, I didn't know if calling her would be too upsetting."

"No, that's good, Eames. I think I'll wait a few days then call her. I don't think I could take it if she started in on me and I can't get there to see her. Thanks." He was relieved she gave him the freedom he needed from his mom. He just needed some time to get better before dealing with her right now. _Eames knows everything I need. She really is incredible. How did I get so lucky with her_?

--

Alex made another delicious dinner. She cooked some tilapia with baked asparagus and a salad of baby romaine and grape tomatoes. The fish was light, the vegetables hit the spot. After dinner, Bobby settled back into bed. Eames once again, cleaned the kitchen then made herself comfortable on the couch. She flipped though the cheesy magazines she brought with her, then turned on the TV to catch the news.

Bobby was in the bedroom, missing Alex. He knew she was purposely leaving him alone. He knew she thought he wanted to have time to himself. But really, he missed her. While it's true he does enjoy the time he can spend alone; when faced with the alternative, he would choose her any day over being without her. He wanted nothing more than to have her in bed with him. In his bed. He found himself thinking about what it would be like to have her there all the time. He imagined them together, married or just as a couple. He was driving himself crazy.

Finally, she appeared in the doorway.

"Bedtime, let's go." She moved over to him and helped him up. He got himself in and out of the bathroom. He wanted to change into something he was more comfortable wearing. He usually slept only in his boxers. But with her there, he had to change that. So he picked out a pair of jogging shorts and a new t-shirt. She had to help him get out of his sweats and into his shorts. She handled the exchange exactly the way she did for the shower. "You really sleep in a t-shirt?" She was skeptical about that. He didn't seem the type.

"Well no. Actually, I usually only sleep in my underwear, but that hardly seems appropriate."

"Goren, I'm all for the shorts, but feel free to lose the shirt."

He hesitated, then he folded the t-shirt back up and dropped it on the floor.

Once he was done, she tucked him in bed. After he was all set, she got herself ready for bed. She changed into her pajamas. She wore a pair of black shorts and a black tank top. He nearly stopped breathing at the sight of her. Now, here he was in shorts…laying with his partner looking sexier than ever.

"Okay, movie time. Goren, your choice tonight." She handed him the case.

"You sure, Eames? I think my taste in movies is different than yours."

"Go for it, Bobby. Anything you want." _Careful what you wish for, Eames_.

He chose The Shining.

Eames hated scary movies but she couldn't tell him that.

As soon as it started, she inched closer to him and wrapped her hands around his arm. As the movie progressed, her whole body came in contact with his. _Hmmmm, scary movies… I'll have to remember this._ Bobby silently congratulated himself as Eames snuggled up next to him.

He doubted sleep would come easy for him tonight. And he was right.

--


	8. Chapter 8

_Eames climbed down the stairs to the basement. She knew Bobby took a different route, but she didn't know where he was. She opened the cellar door. She heard a snap, she saw a light. She drew her gun. She thought she saw the flash of a pistol. She fired. She shined her flashlight. Goren was on the ground. She shot him. He was dead._

"**OH MY GOD! BOBBY! NO**!"

Before Eames knew it, she was sitting upright sweating. Her clothes were drenched.

Dim light from the street outside cast the room in a orangey glow. It was just enough to see her.

"Alex!...Alex, you're okay. It was a nightmare. I'm here, we're here. We're both okay." Even though he couldn't sit up, he was able to grab her wrist and guide her to him. She laid down against his side, she wrapped her arms around him. Tears fell and his chest became damp.

He waited until she caught her breath until he spoke again.

"You're soaking wet, Eames. Get some new clothes and get back in bed." He wished he could help her, but he could only encourage her to move past her bad dream.

"You're right." She sniffled before she spoke. She got up and walked around the room. She picked up the shirt he had earlier discarded. Then, without another thought, she stripped herself of the tank top and shorts she was in. For the briefest of moments, Eames stood before him in nothing but her panties. Despite himself, his breath hitched. Even in the semi-dark room, he was able to take in the sight of her as she fumbled with his t-shirt. Then she maneuvered it over her head and she was once again covered.

She climbed back into bed, and without hesitation, curled up next to him.

He kissed her head and reassured her that he was there and that she was safe. She eventually drifted off to sleep.

--

Two hours later, Bobby was still awake. He had his right arm wrapped around her. He felt if he protected her while she slept, her nightmares couldn't return. While he knew that this was unrealistic, he needed to try. It was obvious that her bad dreams were about him, so he felt he owed it to her to try to stop them.

As he laid there holding her, his mind once again started to fill in the gaps in his mind about the day of the shooting.

_I was shot, she climbed on me and stopped my bleeding. But, what was that like_? He was doing his best to urge his brain to release the memories of that time to him. _She was on me, we were on the stretcher. We were in the ambulance._

Suddenly, like a flash, he had a memory. _She's on me and she's trying to get me to talk. She's talking to me, asking me a question._ _SHIT. C'mon, Bobby, think_. He did his best to relax his brain, to allow it to open up for him. Then…

"_So Goren, do you like me in this position_?" His brain finally released for him. He kept pressing. _We were in the bus. Her hand was reaching into my belly. What else? What else did she say_?

"_So, Goren, how long have you been wantin' me to climb on top of you_?" _That's it! She said that! What the __hell__ did I say?_

After that, his mind stopped giving him his answers. He tried for another hour or so, but there was nothing else. Finally, sleep overtook him. He fell asleep with Alex in his arms.

--

"…so that is how we learned how to evade the police on Block Island."

Alex was once again entertaining Bobby with tales from her youth. They were laughing and enjoying the silliness over breakfast. He loved hearing about an Alex that was mischievous and carefree. He could listen to her all day.

"Alex, you and your friends were a bit of a handful, no?"

Alex laughed at his commentary. She was happy to let Bobby in on her teenage escapades. It may not seem it, but they are a very big part of who she has become, and she is so happy that she can share the memories with Bobby.

"Well, I think if you ask my dad, he might use a stronger word than handful." He was giggling.

"Great idea! That will be a good icebreaker the next time I see him." He was being playful and she loved it.

"Don't you dare! She was serious but still smiling. "Besides, you don't need an icebreaker, my dad really likes you."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. It's just sometimes I think he looks at me funny. Like he's trying to see if I have some sort of ulterior motive when it comes to his daughter." Still smiling.

"Well…do you?" The words were out there before she realized it.

He stopped smiling. He didn't know what to say.

"I don't know why I said that, forget it."

He took the easy way out and changed the subject.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Lewis and I thought it would be funny to release some chickens in our school?" She started laughing immediately as he regaled her with some of his own stories.

They spent the rest of the morning trading stories. They laid there laughing at each others antics. Alex was aware of how wonderful it felt to be in Bobby's bed, and to hear him laughing. _The two best things in the world_, she silently decided to herself.

Alex was finishing another story, "… so since he had that white stripe down the middle of his black hair, we called him 'Skunky' and gave him the ride of his life to his house. I'm sure he never hitchhiked again." Goren shook his head in amusement.

"How did your parents ever let you out of the house?" Happiness shined in his eyes.

"That's the thing. With the brothers' I had, my parents were worn out by the time I got to high school. As long as I didn't come back home arrested or stoned, they pretty much let me do whatever I wanted."

"Real smart move on their part."

"Oooh, Bobby busts out the sarcasm! I like it!"

"Well, I don't know about you, but all this talk has gotten me a little hungry. Why don't I get up and make us some sandwiches."

"Not so fast, Goren! Let me handle that, you just sit tight."

With that, she got out of bed and pranced out of the room, still dressed only in his t-shirt. A detail that was not lost on him. She had never put on shorts. As they were talking, he had also been watching her. She changed position a lot over the course of the morning. Sometimes she was on her side with her arms curled up next to her chest. Then she would move to her back and look at the ceiling while she told stories, alternating her leg position from laying flat to knees up. At times she sat up, legs crossed, hunched over a little and playing with her toes.

His favorite position was when she had laid on her stomach. She did that when she was listening to him. By then, she had kicked the sheets off of her. She had her arms wrapped under her pillow, her eyes watching his. His t-shirt clung to her ass, outlining it perfectly. A very small part of her pink panties were peaking out of the bottom of the shirt. Her legs were splayed open a little, and she would sometimes raise her feet in the air and hook her ankles around each other; waving them back and forth. He was telling his stories, but he wasn't thinking about what he was saying. All he could think of was how much he wanted to place soft kisses all the way down her back, over her ass, and down her legs. He felt himself getting hard just thinking about her. He realized having her there with him was tougher than he thought it would be. But, he also never imagined they would be sharing his bed.

"What is that look for?" He was surprised to see her standing there, tray in hand.

"Uh, I don't know, I was uh, just…"

"Here." She cut him off. She put the tray down so she could help him sit up more. He tried to protest, saying he could do it but she ignored him. He was once again trying to hide his arousal. He bunched together the sheets and rested them on his lap. He then put his elbows down and raised his back up while she put another pillow behind him, then she held his back with one hand and his chest with another as he inched back a little. Feeling her hands on his skin only made it worse for him. When he was in place, he looked up and found her leaning so close to him. Her hair was falling in her face a little and without thinking he took his left hand and swept her hair behind her ear. She stayed there with her hands on him and smiled at him. Then, she leaned in and kissed his lips very gently.

"This morning was nice," she said as she stood back up. Her voice was soft.

"Yes, yes it was. We should, uh, do it more often."

"I think so, too." With that, she handed him the tray. She sat in the chair instead of on the bed. She was just about to eat when they heard someone at the door. Eames went out and looked through the peep hole; she saw Lewis standing there.

"Oh, hey Lewis!" She realized she didn't have pants on. "Hang on a sec, okay?"

Lewis stood there, trying to figure out why she couldn't just open the door. He heard her scamper away, then come back a few seconds later. He could here her shuffle a little, then she unlocked and opened the door.

"Detective Alex!" He couldn't smile any larger.

"Hey Lewis, c'mon in." She led him into the apartment and closed the door. He waited for her before he went further.

"How's our little patient today?" He was still smiling at her, but now it was a mischievous smile. He had noticed her attire right away. _Hmmm, Bobby's t-shirt, no bra? Yes, no bra. Her hair is a mess, kind of like… bed head? It's one in the afternoon! She is sort of …flustered. Her sweats…they're on __backwards__? So, that's what she needed to do when she opened the door? She didn't have pants on?! Bobeeeee!_

She led him to Bobby's room and they both stepped inside.

"How ya doin' big guy?" Lewis was beaming.

"Good, Lewis, I'm good." Bobby looked a little confused.

"I bet you are!"

"What?"

"Hey Lewis, how about a sandwich? I still have all the stuff out. Do you like turkey or ham?"

"Oh, Detective Alex, that would be sweet! How about a little of both?"

"A little of both it is, be right back."

As soon as Alex left the room, Lewis started.

"You… you are a dog my friend!" He was trying to whisper but he was so excited that it was hard for him to contain himself.

"What are you talking about, Lewis?!"

"You and detective Alex! She didn't have any pants on? Bed head? She has on your t-shirt? Aren't you supposed to be takin' it easy, man?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Lewis. It's not what you think."

With that, Alex came back in the room. "Here ya go, Lewis. I also brought you a soda, is that good?"

"Perfect! But I bet everything you do is perfect, detective Alex!"

"Easy boy." It always struck her funny how he didn't hide his crush on her from anyone.

"Why don't you two catch up, I'm gonna eat my lunch and watch the news." She grabbed her plate and left the room.

A disappointed looking Lewis watched her leave. Then he got up and closed the door.

"Man, how did you get so lucky?" He was speaking very quietly.

"Stop it, Lewis. I'm telling you, nothin's goin' on. We were just laying here all morning talking."

"Yeah, 'talking'." He used air quotes. "She's in your t-shirt and you are only in shorts and you're only talking?"

"No, no, Lewis, she had a nightmare last night and changed into my shirt because hers was wet. Then, well, then she never changed back. We both didn't really notice."

"Yeah, right, Bobby. You didn't notice her laying next to you without pants on." Lewis was smirking at him. Bobby couldn't help but smirk back.

"Ahhh, I thought so! Back to my statement, how did you get so lucky? You have detective Alex as your Florence Nightingale. Man, I wanna get shot."

"Drop it already, Lewis. She's gonna hear you."

Lewis caught Bobby up on how his mom was doing, then they talked about cars. After a while, Lewis could see Bobby was getting tired so he got up to leave.

Alex came back into the room.

"Looks like you could use a nap, my friend. I guess all that 'talking' really wore you out."

Bobby glared at Lewis but Lewis just smiled.

"Detective Alex, as always, it was a pleasure to see you." He tilted his head down slightly. "And thank you for lunch, it was delicious."

"Well, I can't take too much credit for makin' sandwiches, but you're welcome. Come back soon, okay?"

"If you'll be here, I will definitely be back." He turned and smiled at Bobby, but Bobby was too busy rolling his eyes to see Lewis.

Lewis followed Alex to the door.

"Take good care of my boy in there, okay?"

"Don't worry. I'm plannin' on it."

_I hope so_! Lewis thought as he walked out the door.

--

Alex cleaned up from lunch and went in to find Bobby asleep. She decided to use this opportunity to go for a run. She wrote him a note, changed into a jog bra, a tank top and some shorts, slid on her sneakers and she was out the door. She stepped outside and took a big breath of air. _Feels good to be outside_. She turned on her iPod, popped in the ear buds and took off.

Forty-five minutes later she was back. She peaked in on Bobby and he was still sleeping. _Good, he didn't need me_. She put her sneakers back in the closet, grabbed a change of clothes and took a shower.

She came out of the shower, dressed in gray yoga pants and a black tank top. She felt like a new person after her run. She checked on Bobby again and this time he was awake.

"Hey you, Lewis took a lot out of you, huh?" She casually stepped towards him. Her hair was still wet so she was squeezing the ends with her towel. "You need to get up?"

"Uh, yeah. How about I use the bathroom then maybe I try laying on the couch? I could use a change of scenery."

"Good idea. I'll get your pillow when you're in there." She got a new t-shirt for him and got him up. She led him into the bathroom then closed the door behind herself as she left.

She decided to use this opportunity to change the sheets on the bed. Before she started, she cracked the window for some fresh air. Then she put a new case on one of his pillows and brought them out to the living room. Then she went back in the bedroom and stripped the rest of the sheets. She found a new set in his hall closet. She made the bed, setting up the rest of the pillows on both sides. Before she left the room she closed the window.

By the time she was done, Bobby was on his way out of the bathroom. She helped him get settled on the couch. He turned on the TV and was channel surfing when there was a knock at the door. Eames once again checked the peep hole and she was quite surprised at who was standing on the other side of the door. Ross.

"Hi Captain, it's nice to see you. C'mon in."

"Hello, Eames." Then he saw Bobby on the couch, "Hi Goren, it's nice to see you again, how are you feeling?"

"Hi Captain, I'm feeling pretty good, thanks. This is the first time I've been out of my bedroom, so it feels great to be out here, actually." He gave Ross a half smile.

"Captain, can I get you anything? A soda? Some water?"

"Sure Eames, I'll take some water." Alex went in to get Ross a water and without asking she got one for Bobby, too.

She came back to the living room as Goren and Ross were exchanging small talk. Ross had sat down in the recliner and Eames went over and handed him his water. Then she gave Goren his while she moved to sit on the arm of the couch by Bobby's feet. Without thinking about it, Bobby lifted his feet and Alex slid under them. Then he put his feet on her lap and she rested her hands on his shins. Ross wasn't expecting that seating arrangement, but what surprised him more was how both Goren and Eames didn't seem to think anything of it.

"I brought you some magazines, Goren. I figured by now you were ready for some new ones." He handed Bobby a National Geographic and an Air and Space Smithsonian.

"Oh, thank you, Captain. That is really nice of you." He looked at the magazines. "I don't have either issue, these are great!" Eames tried to not roll her eyes. She would give anything for the latest issue of Us or Star right about now.

"Okay, well, I won't keep you both. But, before I go, can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure, let me show you where it is." Eames went to stand up but Ross held up his hand. "Don't get up, I got it - you two look, comfortable." He raised his eyes a little bit. Eames immediately turned red and stood up anyway to wait for Ross to come back.

As Ross passed the bedroom he looked in. _Hmmm, one bedroom, one bed. The pillows are set up on both sides_. He could see coffee cups on both nightstands. Then he saw Eames' clothes from the night before on the ground. That surprised him. He continued to the bathroom to check that out as well. Eames' things were all set up, not in a travel bag or anything. He also noticed her clothes in the hamper, too. _She isn't keeping her clothes separate_. _That's interesting_. Well, he knows they have always been close, but now he was thinking about how she reacted in the hospital, and how he found them sleeping. _Have they been keeping a relationship a secret all this time_? He thought maybe he should pay them another visit in a few days.

He left the bathroom, said his goodbyes, and took off.

--

"Well, that was awkward." Eames walked back into the living room and dropped into the recliner sideways so her feet were dangling over the side.

"Why do you say that?"

"C'mon, Goren. You can't tell me that you felt all warm and fuzzy having Ross here in your living room? I don't know about you, but I was counting the seconds until he left."

"I don't know, it was nice of him to stop by."

"I think you o.d.'d on your pain meds." That remark made Bobby laugh at her.

Goren went back to channel surfing and they decided on a crime drama that was having an episode marathon. They watched a couple of episodes together, then Eames stood up.

"Time to make some dinner."

"I'll take a shower then."

Eames helped him up and got him some clean clothes. She met him in the bathroom and got out a fresh towel. They had to go through the same moves to get him out of his shorts and boxers. While they both tried to pretend it was no big deal, they knew it was anything but. Intimate moment after intimate moment were building up and it's only been three days. As her hands were at his waist, he thought of the kiss that Eames gave him right before lunch. He knew he couldn't return it but he really wanted to. He didn't even know what it actually meant. Once again he got lost in thought as Eames slipped his boxers off of him. He forced himself not to think about 'that move'. The one where she knows to pull the boxers away from his cock. It was still driving him mad. He knew he had to get over it. He pulled the bandage off himself because right then, he couldn't handle her touching him again.

As Goren showered, Eames went back to the kitchen. She found a bottle of red wine, so she opened it up and poured a glass. She decided on baked chicken with roasted potatoes and steamed zucchini. She enjoyed her wine as she cleaned the chicken breasts, seasoned them, and put them in the oven. Then she cut the potato's so they would cook quicker and put the potato's in a separate dish. She sprinkled salt and pepper, drizzled olive oil over them, and put those in the oven, too. She put some water in a pan and put the steamer in it. She cut the zucchini so she could cook it right before the rest of the food was done.

Bobby turned the water off. As he dried himself, he looked at her shampoo and conditioner. He opened one of the caps and breathed in the scent. It was lavender and patchouli. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the smell. He stepped out of the shower and moved to the sink to brush his teeth. He smiled at the sight of Eames' toothbrush resting up against his in the cup. Then he saw her lotion, her brush and her ponytail holder on the counter. He realized that he was feeling so happy, so relaxed. He tried to think of when he ever felt this good and he couldn't think of any other time. It was then that he knew he loved Eames. Really loved her. Like, wanting her there forever kind of love. He found himself breathing heavy. All he wanted to do was go out to the kitchen and take her in his arms. But, here he was wrapped in a towel. _I can't even get my damn underwear on, what makes me think I could take Eames in my arms? Shit_.

With that he tried to shut his mind off. He started thinking about the magazines Ross brought him. There was a great article about the mining being done in Guyana. He thought about that story and called Eames in to put his boxers back on him. She walked in and he wouldn't look at her. She knew he was trying to distance himself from what she was doing. She fought off a smirk and took care of the task. She squatted down and he stepped into shorts. She slowly raised herself up at the same time that her hands ran the entire way against his legs. She stood up as she reached his hips. She kept her head tilted down, but she moved her eyes towards his. He was still not looking at her, so she stood there and waited until he did. He knew she was waiting but he refused.

It was a stand-off.

She slowly dragged her hands towards the front of the boxers. _Oh, my God. Someone, please make her stop._ He could feel her hands and he knew she was within inches of his cock. _Why is she doing this to me_? He finally looked at her but tried to keep his eyes cold. As she pulled his boxers up and over his cock she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. They both took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He shook his head.

"Eames. Please. I can't." His voice cracked a little.

"Bobby."

"Eames, please just help me with my shorts. I-I really need to get out of here."

She didn't speak to him again. She pulled his shorts up, put on a fresh bandage, then walked out.

He took another deep breath. _What the hell is she trying to do to me_?

He put on his t-shirt went to the kitchen. Before he could think about it, he spoke.

"Eames, look, it's just really hard for me to have you s - so close and not react the way I want to. You have to know if I was healthy we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation… but seeing that I'm not healthy, this is the best I can do."

"Wow. I think I just got the long version of, 'back off, Eames'."

Bobby looked exasperated as Alex moved toward him. She leaned against the counter and folded her arms in front of her.

"Bobby, don't worry, I get it. I'm sorry for makin' you feel uncomfortable. I think I'm just so happy to be here, and to have you getting' better that I let myself go a little."

"I'm sorry, too, Eames. We're in a strange situation here. But we'll be okay, right?

"Absolutely." Just then the timer went off. "Dinner is served, detective Goren."

"Can I try to sit out here for dinner? I'm really getting sick of eating in bed."

"That sounds great." He sat down and she quickly set out silverware and napkins. She made them each a plate and got something to drink. She refilled her wine glass, and since he is still on pain meds, he stuck with water.

They ate rather quickly, and Bobby was ready to lay back down. As they went to the bedroom to get him in bed she tried to lighten the mood.

"You know Goren, it's my turn to pick the movie tonight and I'll have you know my decision is already made."

"Uh, oh. That doesn't sound good. What is it?"

"Not so fast, you'll have to wait to find out." She loved teasing him.

"Can I get a hint?" He asked as he removed his t-shirt and settled back with Eames' help.

"Let's just say you have a very eclectic library of movies and I was shocked to see this one in there." _Well, that should keep him quite busy in here until movie time! He's going to spend the whole time going through his movies trying to figure out what I picked out._

"Okay, Eames. I'll bet you I can figure out what movie you chose."

"I'll take that bet. But what do I get when you lose?" She was smiling wide. All the tension from earlier was gone.

"When I win, you will have to…watch my movie choices three nights in a row."

"Pretty confident are we? Okay fine, and when I win, I choose for three nights."

"Deal" They said together as they were laughing.

Goren settled back with his new National Geographic. But as soon as she left he opened his movie case and began is investigation. He cruised through it once. That was all it took. He picked up magazine his again and finished his article with a smug look on his face.

Eames hung out in the living room and called her sister, Beth. They caught up on family news and Nathan. Beth said she would stop by with Nathan and Eames was thrilled. Then she watched some sit-coms and the news. When she thought she gave Bobby enough "alone time", she went into the bedroom.

"I'm gettin' ready for bed and **my** movie." She couldn't help but see the cocky look on Bobby's face. _Could he really have figured it out_? She felt a little pit in her stomach.

"Eames, can you get me up first? I'll be in and out of there in a second."

"No problem." She moved over to him and helped him up. He went in and out of the bathroom alone. She helped him back into bed then she grabbed her pajamas and went to the bathroom.

While she was in there he picked up the movie case. He pulled out his choice and left it on her pillow.

She came out of the bathroom in her pajama's. Again, it was shorts and a tank top, just like last night. This time the shorts were black and they said "Avalon" on across her ass. The tank top was red.

"When did you go to Avalon?"

Alex's eyes flashed up to him, a big grin on her face. "What makes you ask me that?"

He felt himself turn as red as her tank top. He wouldn't have asked that question if he hadn't checked out her ass.

"I guess I'm busted."

"You guessed right." She winked at him.

But he wasn't paying attention to that anymore. He was watching her as she made her way over to her side of the bed. She pulled back the covers and caught a glimpse of something shiny on her pillow. It was a DVD. It was turned upside down. She sat down with one leg underneath her and she looked at Bobby.

"You didn't."

"Yeah, I think I did." His smug grin was back.

She slowly picked up the movie and turned it over.

"How the fuck did you do that?" She was sitting there holding her selection. The Sound of Music.

He was now beyond the smug grin. She didn't think she had ever seen him smile so big. She wanted to kill him.

"You know, Goren, I could easily give you a matching bullet wound right now."

"C'mon Eames, don't be such a sore loser!"

"Well, don't be such a dick about winning!"

"Whoa! You have never called me that before, Eames. I'm hurt." He tried his puppy-dog eyes.

"Yeah, right." She wasn't buying it. "And by the way, it's ALEX. We're in bed together, remember?"

"Sorry, Alex. And to show you I am such a good winner, we can still watch your movie tonight. I'll start my three movie reign of terror tomorrow night."

"Ugg, that's gonna suck."

"Hey you're the one who agreed. And you're the one who was so easy to read."

She gave him a fake glare. He knew it was fake because he saw the glimpse of laughter in her eyes.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're adorable when you lose?" He loved teasing her.

"Just shut up." She stuck her tongue out at him as set up the laptop for the movie.

He just chuckled as he watched her.

When she was done with the set up, she laid down and tried to ignore him. Before long, she was lost in the magic of the movie. She loved the romance between Maria and the captain. It was such a beautiful story and she could never get enough of it. They got to the scene during the ball when Maria and the captain dance out on the terrace. Eames sat up straight. It was her favorite part; when they were both realizing for the first time that they loved each other. He held her in his arms as they twirled around to the sound of the orchestra. Eames was lost in the moment when she heard Goren say, "nice hedges."

She leaned forward and paused the movie. She slowly looked at him.

"What did you just say?"

"Did you see those hedges, Alex? Man, I wonder how long it took to get them so big and perfect?"

"Wait… you're watching the most romantic part of this movie and all you can say is, 'nice hedges'? What is WRONG with you, Goren?!"

"I don't know Alex, you really like this movie this much?"

"Yes, yes I do. And you know what? You don't deserve to see the rest of it now." With that, she popped the movie out and closed the laptop. She moved it to the floor and got back into bed.

"G'night, Goren." She said rather harshly as she turned off the light.

"Alex, you're serious?"

"Do I not look serious, Bobby?"

"I don't know, I can't see you anymore, EAMES!"

She didn't answer him after that.

They both laid there for a long time in silence.

--

**a/n: so, they "hedges" story is real. My husband actually said that to me the first time he watched the movie. I had recently shared it with someone on FF so I decided to use it in this story. Also, for the record, all of Alex's little stories of childhood are also real. Those are my memories of youth, and we called each other Hurricane Buff and the Windsisters. Bobby's chickens story… not mine!**


	9. Chapter 9

--

Bobby couldn't sleep. He hated the way they had left things earlier. If he could, he would be tossing and turning, but moving around was still difficult to do. He was also very surprised how pissed off Alex got at his comment. But as he thought back to it, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. _Man, who knew Eames was such a romantic? I mean, it's a good movie, but those really were nice hedges! _He also thought about how mad she got when he figured out her movie choice on the first try. It struck him so funny that she was such a sore loser about it.

He turned his head to look at her. She was on her side facing him. Her sheet and blanket were down around her waist. She had her left arm tucked under her pillow. Her right was just out in front of her with her palm turned up towards the ceiling. Her mouth was closed, but it was looked soft. It made him think that during the day she had the habit of looking like she was frowning. He always thought that that was just how her mouth was naturally. But looking at her sleeping, he can see that her lips almost curl up instead of down. It made him feel bad. All the evil that they encounter has taken it's toll on her without either of them even realizing it. It broke his heart. Then he saw her fingers twitch a little and heard her make a noise that almost sounded like a tiny laugh. It brought him out of his sadness and it made him smile again. He wondered what she was dreaming about; what it was that was making her fingers twitch and for her to laugh in her sleep. He was hoping it was him. He wanted to be the one who made her laugh in her sleep.

He also wanted to touch her. Very badly. His need to feel her began to overwhelm him. He laid there for a few minutes having a silent battle with himself. The part of him that wanted to reach over to her was winning out. He gave in to it.

Bobby carefully turned onto his side and inched toward her a little bit. He kept his head on his pillow, but it was now on the edge of it. He was as close to Alex as he would allow himself to be. He moved his left arm closer to her, his hand was right next to hers. He waited like that for a few minutes while he tried to decide on where to touch her first. His breathing became heavy and his heart pounded as his anticipation grew. After studying her face and her body, he decided on her nose. He loved her nose. He thought about all the times he sat next to her during an interrogation and he would catch her profile. Her hair would be surrounding her face and all he could see was her chin and her cute little nose peaking out. At those times he wanted nothing more than to run his finger down it but he always fought the temptation. Finally, he didn't have to.

He raised his hand and used his pointer finger. He started between her eyebrows and moved his way down to the tip of her nose. She didn't react to his touch at all, so he decided to do it again. On the second pass, she scrunched her nose like she had an itch. As she did that her forehead wrinkled a bit and it made him smile. That's when he decided his next stop would be her forehead. He sees it too often filled with worry lines. He wanted to smooth the worries away. This time he used his middle finger and slid it from her left side to her right. As he got to her right side, he brushed her hair back. Then he continued with three fingers running though her hair. He was smiling like a kid in a candy shop.

His hand left her hair as he drifted his fingers over her cheek. With that, her right hand came up to scratch her face and he pulled his hand back while he tried not to laugh out loud. He was enjoying himself so much. _Here's Alex…such a strong, stubborn, force of a woman. Just a few hours ago she was so mad at me. Now, as she sleeps I'm touching her and she has no idea. God, she would kill me if she knew what I was doing. _That thought actually made his smile even bigger.

She put her hand down and he went back to playing. He looked to her lips and he was brought back to the other night when he touched them. It was the first time he had. He flashed back to when she opened her mouth for him, then kissed his thumb so tenderly. He closed his eyes to keep that image alive as long as possible.

After that, he opened his eyes focused on her shoulder. It was bare, only the thin strap of her tank top ran past it. At first, Bobby used only his pointer to touch it. But almost immediately, he rested his whole hand on it. She was so warm to touch. She squirmed her body a little as if she was trying to snuggle deeper into the mattress. He didn't remove his hand. She settled back in and then he ran his hand down her arm; feeling the muscles and soft skin and following it as her elbow curved. He stopped at her wrist and rested on her pulse point. He closed his eyes again and let the rhythm of her heart overtake him. For the quickest of moments he thought about Jo Gage and how close he came to never being able to feel Alex' heart beat. He pushed that thought out of his head as fast as he could. He didn't want anything to spoil this moment for him.

Bobby looked back at her face and it made him smile again. _Now what_?! He was feeling very bold after having all of this time with her and not getting caught. He looked Alex up and down and now his eyes stopped on the curve of her hip. That would be next, he decided. He went to touch it, but hesitated. Her blanket was covering it and he didn't want that. She had on shorts and those were already too much of a layer in his opinion. Feeling very brave, he carefully peeled back her blanket and inched a tiny bit more towards her. He started at her waist and ran his hand up along her hip and down to the top of her thigh. His mouth hung open a little. By now, he was driving himself mad. He wanted nothing more than to push her onto her back, climb on top, and drive himself into her. He felt an instant erection. His breath became uneven. _Fuck the stitches and my pain. I can get re-stitched tomorrow, and I am __certain__ that this is what pain meds were __really__ invented for._

He was seriously contemplating his next move when she did the unthinkable. She rolled over.

_Noooooooooo, Eames! You can't do that!_

But she did.

Bobby stared at her back for a few minutes deciding what to do. _Should I…Shouldn't I?_ He finally told himself to stop. He took her rolling over as a sign that his "play time" was over. _Damn, if I thought I couldn't sleep before…_

He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Daylight couldn't come soon enough.

--

Morning finally came. Goren was still awake. He knew he did end up drifting in and out of sleep. He's sure of that only because he remembers having dreams about Alex. Vivid dreams. He was actually used to having her occupy his dreams, but what was different now was that in his dreams wasn't calling her Eames anymore. Now he was calling her Alex; her 'bedtime' name. Things were becoming very personal very fast. He wasn't totally surprised at that. They've been close for more than six years now. This is the longest relationship he's ever had, and he's pretty sure that other than Joe, it's her longest one, too. But Goren is now very much aware that there is a shift taking place. No longer are they Goren and Eames to each other. Now, they are Bobby and Alex. The walls that they built to protect their hearts from everyone around them, including each other, are being breached. And they're not just being chipped away, it's more like an earthquake. As hard as he still tried to keep his distance, he knew it was a losing battle. He was drawn to this woman the same way she was drawn to him. _God help her,_ he thought to himself as he rolled his eyes a little.

He felt her stirring. He looked over and watched her stretch her body then relax again. She kept her eyes closed. Then she laid her right arm across her eyes and she took a few deep breaths. He could tell by her breathing that she was awake. He spoke first.

"Day four of the hostage crisis."

"What?" Her voice was husky from sleep and he felt his groin fill with blood again. _Jesus, look at what her voice alone can do to me._

"I said, 'day four of the hostage crisis'."

"Bobby, I know what you said, but what the hell are you talkin' about?" She still sounded groggy.

"You've been cooped up with me for three full days. This is day four. And I'm not even counting the three days in the hospital." He paused. "I was just wondering how you're holding up. You know, how many times have you wanted to kill me - besides last night I mean." His voice was sheepish. He really was afraid she was having a miserable time. _How can she __not__ be?_

"Hang on." She jumped out of bed and hit the bathroom. She always felt better after she brushed her teeth and… she had to pee really badly. She returned feeling much more human.

"Do you need to…?" She motioned to the bathroom.

"Sure." She helped him get up and they both noticed that he was getting stronger. He returned to the bedroom and she helped him back into bed.

"So are you gonna answer me or keep avoiding the question?"

"How am I? Honestly? I'm doing great. How can I not be? You're gettin' better and better and I get to be here to help you". She moved over to her side of the bed and climbed back in, rolled on her side and faced him. "Ya know Bobby, you normally spend an awful lot of time pushin' me away. It feels so good that, just for once, you're not tryin' to do that. I'm really happy that you're accepting my help and my desire to be closer to you." She was looking at him with very serious eyes.

Wow. He really wasn't expecting all of that. _Talk about food for thought_.

"So, you're not sick of me? Even after I showed you up last night?"

"Not one bit. But I will say that going for a run yesterday was really nice and I know I need to do that more often."

"Sounds like a plan, Alex."

They spent the rest of the morning having breakfast and reading in bed. They went through the paper while they had coffee, then he picked up a book and she leafed though a Cosmo.

After a while, Eames looked at the clock. "The nurse will be here in about a half hour. Why don't we get you showered so you are ready for her."

_Uh, God, the shower. _

He knew she was right; he couldn't avoid it forever.

They stood in the bathroom in their usual positions; Goren in a towel and Eames squatting before him.

"You do realize this is killing me." He decided to throw it out there. He thought maybe if they talk about it, that is will become easier.

"Take it easy, Goren. Don't worry, I'll keep my distance… I remember you givin' me the long version of 'back off'." He doesn't know if she realized how much her words stung him. He stepped back as if she'd physically hit him.

"No, Eames, please don't be like that… I just… I don't know… I just…"

"Bobby, relax. Let's just do this, okay?" She became robotic. Without another word, she reached under the towel and yanked his shorts and boxers off all in one swipe. She didn't do 'the move' so he jumped a little from the sensation of the material dragging across himself. She didn't pay him any attention.

"Eames." He was pleading.

She stopped in the doorway. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I don't know what made me act like that." Then she turned and looked at him. "I'm sorry." He could hear her sincerity in her voice and it made him feel better.

She closed the door and he showered.

"Okay, I'm done." Bobby called to her. Now, they had to get the clothes on him. He was really hoping there wouldn't be more yanking. He couldn't believe he was now happy that she knew 'the move".

She walked in and he could tell by her face that this might not be pleasant. He followed her lead. She was once again trying to get the clothes on him in one fell swoop. She tucked his boxers inside his pajama bottoms and knelt down. He wriggled one foot into the leg of the pants and then the other. She stood up fast so he went to speak but it came out more like a yell, "slow down!"

She got as far as his hips and his arms came out to meet hers. At that very moment, the towel slipped off of Bobby. He jumped, she screamed and turned as fast as she could. His sudden movement sent a bolt of pain through his body and he shouted a little. She wanted to turn to him, but she wasn't sure what his 'pants status' was.

"Bobby, are you okay? Oh, God, I am so sorry…what can I do?"

"Stay where you are." He barked.

He took a deep breath and he inched backward so he could lean his butt against the counter. Once he was leaning, he was able to angle his torso lower, but the pain seared him. He pulled up his boxers and pajama bottoms from the point where she had left them.

"Okay, I'm all set." He was feeling light headed from the shock of the pain.

Alex turned around. "Bobby, you're so pale, let's get you back to bed. She led him to the bedroom and tucked him back in.

"Bobby…" She said softly.

"Alex, don't worry about it. It was just as much my fault by making you do it fast."

"Why don't you rest a minute and then I'll put the new bandage on you."

"Sounds good." He smiled at her but she wouldn't look at him. She felt guilty, and he knew it. He didn't want her feeling guilty, after all that's she's done for him through all of this. He felt so bad.

--

She came back into the room with bandages in hand.

"I promise to be more gentle this time." She was trying to make him laugh, but to him, her voice still sounded so guilty. "I told you, I'm fine, Eames. Don't worry yourself about it." He tried to reassure her but she wasn't ready to let herself off the hook.

She carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. She was taking extra care not to jostle him. He watched her as she ripped strips of tape off and hung them from his nightstand. Something about the way she was leaning over drew his mind to the stretcher.

_"Bobby, I asked you if you ever thought of what you'd do to me if you had me on top of you… well, can you think of what you'd like to do to me right now…if we weren't in this ambulance_?". … _"Alex, I've been thinkin' about that for the past six years. I - I don't think you really want to hear this right here… ri - right now"._ Bobby's eyes were glued to her. _That's what I said to her!_

Alex opened the bandage, put it on the wound then used the tape to secure it. Unbeknownst to her, Bobby just had a breakthrough. She looked at him and saw a very intense look on his face.

"Bobby, what is it?" She was totally confused.

"Can I give you my answer now?" His dark eyes were piercing into hers.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"I remember what you asked me when we were on the stretcher." He raised his eyes a little. His voice was low and sexy.

"Bobby." She was certain he could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

"Alex," he said her name very slowly. She felt her whole body shiver. "you asked me what I would do if I had you on top of me." He was still intensely serious. "I have my answer."

Right then, Bobby put his left hand on her waist while his right hand moved towards her left breast. He paused for a minute and watched her. "This is what I would do first." As he said that, his fingers ran down the side of her breast. He watched her as she closed her eyes and let a small "oh" escape her. Then he began messaging her breast with his whole hand. Meanwhile his left hand crept up under her shirt. That hand found her right breast. So now both of his hands were on her breasts. One hand over her shirt and the other under it. The sensation was more than she could stand. "Oh, God, Bobby." She said in a husky whisper. That made him groan in return.

"Come here." He kept his hands on her breasts. She put her left hand on the bed, her right hand gently on his chest and lowered her lips to meet his.

Their lips touched and what started out as a gentle kiss quickly turned passionate. Tongue met tongue and they wasted no time exploring each other mouths. Alex moved her hand from his chest to his neck and then to his face. As they kissed, she ran her thumb along his lower lip.

He now had both hands under her shirt. He was in the process of sliding her top higher when…they heard a knock at the door.

--

**a/n**: **I know**, s**o cruel. All this and they haven't even had lunch yet today so I had to pace myself! But, I'll post again ****very**** soon**. **The next chapter is just about ready.**


	10. Chapter 10

--

Alex heard the knock and practically leapt off the bed. Without looking at him, she pulled her shirt down and left the room. She felt herself moving down the hall but her mind was foggy. She realized her hands were shaking and she was sweating. She stopped before she reached the door and leaned her butt against the wall. She bent over at the waist and rubbed her hands against her face while she tried to catch her breath. There was another knock.

"Mrs. Goren? Hello?" It was nurse Wendy.

_Crap._ Eames opened the door.

"Hi Wendy", fake smile, "how nice to see you." _Actually, I wish you were anywhere but here._. "Please come in." _Please leave and never return_.

"How's your husband today?"

"Actually, Wendy, he's…" she was going to correct her but she heard herself saying something completely opposite, "he's doing great. That husband of mine is doin' better every day."

--

Bobby watched Alex spring from the bed at lightening speed. As she bolted out of the room, he threw his head against his pillow. _Damn. Damn, damn, damn_!

He could hear Alex in the hallway, hesitating before she answered the door. He knew what she was doing. They were both in a state of high arousal. He knew there was no way he could be answering the door at that moment. His cock was so hard, and he was so worked up that he couldn't think straight.

"Hi Wendy, how nice to see you." _Yeah right. We're thrilled you're here._

"How's your husband today?" Bobby smiled.

"Actually Wendy, he's…", _NO! don't tell her I'm not your husband! I don't want to hear those words!_ "…he's doing great. That husband of mine is doing better every day." _Yes! Thank you, Eames!_

--

Then, Alex and Wendy were standing there.

"Hear something funny, sweetheart?" He didn't realize he was still smiling when they walked in.

"Oh, sorry, daydreaming I guess… Hi Wendy."

"Hi Mr. Goren. Your wife was just telling me that you're doing great! I'm so happy to hear that."

"Yeah, thanks." He spoke to Wendy but he wasn't looking at her. He knew he should have said more to the nurse, but he was distracted by Alex. He could see her nipples were still erect. All he could think about was how they just felt in his hands.

Wendy picked up on the fact that Bobby wasn't paying one bit of attention to her. She also noticed that he didn't have a shirt on. She wondered if she just interrupted something. She felt herself blush a little.

"Let's have a look-see." She peeled the bandage back and examined the wound.

"Excellent."

"Hear that, honey? I'm excellent." He smirked at Eames.

"Oh great, just give his ego another boost." Eames snarked.

They all laughed while Wendy took his temperature then checked his blood pressure. She got a worried look on her face as she checked his pulse. You're pulse rate is too high.

"Too high for what?" Bobby asked, but Alex knew what was coming next.

"To high for laying in bed." Wendy said as she held two fingers against his neck.

"Well, Wendy," _oh, no Goren, you're not_… "is it too high for someone who was, say, excited? _Goren, I swear to God… stop_! Eames was glaring at him while her face turned beet red.

"Well, I guess not, but I mean you're just laying in bed so I don't see - " Alex was certain she saw see the light bulb pop on above the nurses head. Immediately Alex put her head down, she couldn't look at the woman. She was hoping for a magic hole to suddenly appear in the floor that could swallow her up. No such luck.

"Oh. Oh! I see! I'm so sorry I interrupted your little 'afternoon delight'!" _Oh__My__God__, she did __NOT__ just say that_! Eames was beyond mortified.

"Well, what can I say? I have a very beautiful wife and I love her very much… and she just can't keep her hands off me. I tried to tell her that I need my rest but sometimes she won't take no for an answer. " _Oh My God! __HE__ did not just say __THAT_!!

"Bobby! THAT. IS. NOT. TRUE!"

"What's not true, honey? That you're beautiful? That I love you very much? Those things are most definitely true." He paused. "Isn't it true that you can't keep your hands off of me, dear? Cause I sure don't ever want to keep my hands off of you!" He was having so much fun watching her squirm.

He looked back at the nurse, "We're still newlyweds, you know." He raised his eyes conspiratorially at her.

"Bobby. THAT. IS. ENOUGH!"

Nurse Wendy tried to diffuse the situation. "It's alright, Mrs. Goren. I know a con-artist when I see one. I know you wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize his recovery."

"Well, Wendy, what - ah - wouldn't jeopardize my recovery?"

At this point Alex wanted to run right over and strangle the man.

"Well, to be frank, as long as you're not in pain, nothing is off limits. But generally right now, I think it's in your best interest to not exert yourself. At least until you have your stitches out. Until then, just do what feels most comfortable for you."

She looked at Alex then back at Bobby. Alex was examining her fingers, while Bobby looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Nurse Wendy decided that she had had enough of these two for the day.

"I do have some good news. I think you're doing so well, I'll be able to give you a clean bill of health sooner than anticipated."

Bobby's eyes opened wide. "Oh, yeah? Really?"

"Yes, your wound is almost completely healed. It may pain you still from time to time, but that will be normal. We don't have to worry about infections any longer. The next time I come back, I'll remove the stitches and we'll see how you feel at that point."

"That'd be great. Huh, E- honey?"

"Better than you can imagine."

"I guess I'll let you get back to, uh, you know… I can let myself out." Wendy smiled at Bobby.

Bobby smiled back.

"Take care of yourself and I'll see you again in two days." She started to leave the room then stopped and turned back, "maybe next time I should call first?" She winked at Bobby and Bobby chuckled. Alex was still looking down but was moving toward the door.

"Trust me, that won't be necessary." _Did you get that hint, asshole_?!

Nurse Wendy laughed out loud. "Uh, oh, someone's in the doghouse!" Alex gave her another fake smile then she led Wendy to the door.

"Bye Mrs. Goren!"

"Good bye Wendy." Her words dripped with impatience.

--

"Bobby Goren. You can be such an ass."

That's all she said to him for the rest of the afternoon. At lunch time she unceremoniously brought him his sandwich then left the room again.

"Alex, please." He tried to talk to her when she came back into the room to get his plate and to bring him to the bathroom.

She ignored him.

--

Luckily for Bobby, the quiet afternoon was interrupted by a visit from Lewis. The minute Alex saw Lewis she decided she needed to get out for a while. She went to do laundry and then to the grocery store. Lewis was thoroughly disappointed at her disappearance. He picked up on the fact that she looked pissed. He waited for her to leave then pounced on Bobby.

"What the hell did you do to her, man?"

"I didn't do anything." Bobby tried to look wounded by his friends words.

"Well, clearly you pissed her off, dude. So, what was it… something you did or something you said?"

"Both, I think."

What do you mean, 'you think'?"

"Before we go any further, can you help me to the couch?"

Lewis helped Bobby get up and then settled him on the couch. Lewis went to the kitchen, grabbed a beer, then fell into the recliner.

"Okay, go on… how did you so royally piss off the beautiful detective Eames?"

"Well, I did something, then right away I said something, and I don't know which one got her this mad. Or, maybe both things."

Lewis looked confused so Bobby proceeded to tell him about the nurses visit and what went on before it. Lewis' eyes were wide as Bobby told him what Alex said on the stretcher. Then his jaw dropped when Bobby told him how he showed Alex what his reply would be to her question.

But when he heard the conversation that Bobby had with the nurse, Lewis closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he slowly opened his eyes and looked at his friend.

"That's it, bro."

"You think?"

"Bobby, I love you man. But you crossed the line. You embarrassed her. She was probably already embarrassed enough thinking that you were just…you know… holding her…ta-ta's."

"Lewis. Ta-ta's? How old are you?!" Bobby knew how serious this was but he couldn't help but laugh at Lewis.

"Oh, Bobby, you know what I mean." Bobby was trying to stop laughing.

"Okay, okay. You're right, Lewis. That's the part that got her mad. At least I think that's the only part."

Lewis sat there for a minute as silence took over the room.

"Lucky bastard." He was trying to look mad but his smile was slipping out.

Bobby chuckled for a second but then his face became serious.

"I know I am, Lewis. She's the best. And for some reason, she seems to like me."

"Don't screw this up, Bobby. She is one awesome girl. Do not let her get away." He shook his head at Bobby, his face was stern.

"I'm doin' the best I can, Lewis. But you know me, this is hard . I've never had these feelings before. I've never wanted anyone to get close to me, and I've certainly never had anyone in my life that I didn't want to let go." He sounded scared.

"Well, Bobby. All I know that this girl is the best thing that you can ever hope for and for some reason she seems to be crazy about you. Apologize to her. Talk to her. Let her know that she's the most important person in your life. You have to do anything you can to let her know that you know you fucked up."

Bobby nodded his head.

For the rest of the visit, Lewis told Bobby about his visit to Bobby's mom. They caught up on their regular topics; Lewis' family, cars, Lewis' love life. Lewis had Bobby laughing about a date he had been on when Alex came back. She had a grocery bag in each hand while she was carrying the laundry basket. The sight of her struggling with the his clothes and his food made Bobby feel like a huge piece of shit. Guilt swarmed him.

"Hey Lewis." She made a point to only look at Lewis. This wasn't lost on either men.

Lewis jumped up and helped her with the grocery bags. He put them in the kitchen.

"Detective Alex, I haven't had the chance to tell you how amazingly beautiful you look today."

Alex knew what he was doing. She knew these two talked about her while she was gone and that really got her going.

"A bit over the top, don't you think, Lewis?"

Lewis looked shocked at her anger; that it was now directed at him.

"Did Bobby tell you how much he pissed me off so now you're trying to smooth the way for him?" She wasn't pulling any punches. Lewis was scared.

"Detective Alex. You know I worship you. I would never just pay you lip service."

"Lewis…" she still wasn't looking at Bobby. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Lewis, while I always appreciate your compliments, right now I am truly not in the mood for any more bullshit. I think I've had my fill for the day."

She went to the bedroom and closed the door.

It took Lewis a several seconds to break his gaze. He was still staring at Bobby's locked bedroom door. Finally he turned and looked at Bobby.

"Oh man, you're fucked."

"Gee, thanks Lewis. That certainly makes me feel a lot better."

"No seriously man, you are so screwed over if you don't fix this right now."

With that, Lewis got up. He put his beer bottle in the kitchen sink and came back to the living room.

"I'm outta here. Good luck. Call me when the coast is clear."

"Chicken."

"Damn right. She's scary when she's pissed."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

--

Bobby could only sit there and wait. After about an hour he heard her open the door. Alex did not go to see him, instead she went to the kitchen.

He heard her take out a pot and set it on the stove. Then he heard cabinet doors open and close. He could smell garlic sautéing in oil. Then cans being opened. _She's making a sauce. Didn't know Eames had it in her._ She finally appeared in the doorway and leaned against it's frame. Her hands were folded and she had one of her feet crossed over the other. She didn't say a word, she just stared at him. Her jaw was set, he knew she was still pissed. He had no idea how to start. He felt like anything he said would be wrong. He decided to go big.

"I am the luckiest man in the world to have you here with me."

She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head slightly to convey her surprise in his tactic.

"That's it? That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"No, I have a lot more to say, but I wanted to make sure you knew that first off. You know, in case I don't get to say everything else."

"What, you mean you think I might storm out of here and not let you finish?"

"Possibly. I mean look at you. You're still so mad at me."

"Do you think I have a right to be, Bobby?"

"Yes." He couldn't say the word fast enough. He knew any hesitation on his part would have been read as a 'no' by her.

"And what is it that you think I'm so mad at?"

_Here's the tricky part_. The phrase 'between a rock and a hard place' flew into Goren's mind.

As she waited for him to gain the courage to speak, she moved over to the coffee table and sat down on it. She leaned her right arm across her knees, placed her left elbow on top of her right hand, and then rested her chin in her left hand.

She was a little to close for Bobby's liking at the moment. Another phrase came to his mind, 'striking distance'.

"I think…you're mad because… be-because of what I s-said to the nurse."

Her started tapping her foot. _What the fuck does that mean? Am I onto to something or did I make it worse?_

"And?"

_Yes! That part was right! But there's more? Shit._ Then Bobby got afraid that she was mad about him feeling her up. He got very serious.

"Eames. Alex. D-did I… are you mad at me for before that? You know, when I touched you and kissed you?"

Her foot stopped tapping. _Uh, oh_.

"Bobby." Her voice was much softer than it had been. "First of all, no. I'm not mad you for touching me. Not at all. Second of all, I think I actually kissed you." She closed her eyes as she remembered what it was like to have her tongue in his mouth.

"Eames, I'm sorry, then I think I need some help here. I'm not good at things like this. I never had conversations like this with girlfriends."

"Never? How is that possible?" Eames asked ignoring the girlfriend implication.

"Well, I never stick around long enough to get to this point. I mean, I would somehow always piss them off, but instead of talking about it I'd just take off."

"Wow."

"So that's why I really don't get it. I'm not trying to minimize your feelings, Eames. I don't want you to think that the reason I'm questioning what got you so mad is because I don't think I did anything wrong. I know I did something, I get that. But can you please tell me what it was so I know to never do it again?"

"Okay. Bobby, that 'moment' we had before the nurse came in…that was…incredible…don't you think?"

Goren nodded his head, he didn't want to interrupt her. She continued.

"Then, Wendy came in and you started joking with her about it. It made me think it was no big deal to you… That I was just another girl that you were feeling up, just another girl kissing you in your bed."

"Eames, you can't think that."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't think, Bobby!" She yelled at him. She was pissed again.

"No, no! Eames, that's not what I meant." He wanted nothing more than to jump up but he had to just lay there. He released his breath loudly and closed his eyes. Sharing his feelings was so painful for him. More painful than the hole in his stomach. But he knew he had to do this for her. He opened his eyes before continuing. "What I mean is… Eames… you could never, ever be just another girl to me. Touching you…and kissing you…Eames…that was, well, it was perfect. As I told you on the stretcher, that was something I have spent endless hours thinking about doing. Then to have you there… here," he motioned with his hands toward her sitting next to him, "well, I know I am the luckiest person in the world to have you here with me."

She moved her hands behind her to the table and leaned back a little while she lifted her legs and tucked her feet under his legs.

"See? You were able to say it without me stormin' out." Alex replied with her usual snark. He was thrilled to see her joke, but he also knew that that was her way to avoid dealing with everything that he just said.

"Eames, I'm serious."

"I know you are, Bobby. And I'm sorry I got mad and then ignored you. I have to get better at communicating, too, I guess."

"Are we okay now?"

"Yeah, I think we got this one covered." She grinned at him as she stood up.

"You good here for a little while? I'm thinkin' of going for a run."

"Absolutely. Go and relax."

Alex went in and check on the marinara. She gave it a stir and turned the heat down so it could simmer while she went out. Then she changed into some running clothes.

"Do you need anything?"

"Go. I'm fine." They smiled at each other and she left.

--

Alex returned from her run and checked the sauce. She got another pot, filled it with water, and put it on the stove to get it boiling.

"You need anything before I shower?"

"Nope. I'm great."

"Are you afraid to ask me to do stuff for you? I'm not mad anymore, you know."

He chuckled. "No, no really. I'm good. That sauce smells great though. I'm looking forward to trying it."

"Well, I'm an Irish girl making a marinara, it can't be all that good."

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be great."

She took off for the shower.

--

"Dinner was delicious, Eames. That marinara was excellent!"

"You don't think the ravioli was overdone?"

"No, it was great. And the salad dressing was homemade?"

"Yup, Eames family recipe."

"Nice, I'm impressed!"

They chatted as Eames set up for their movie time. She was already dreading it because it was Bobby's first night of three movie picks in a row. They were both ready for bed; him in his shorts and her in a brown tank top and a pair of white shorts that had NYPD emblazoned in dark blue letters across her butt. She put on the shorts as a sort of retaliation to his winning the bet last night. If he was going to drive her crazy with his movies, why can't she drive him crazy with her shorts?

"Okay. That's just not fair Eames."

She looked at him with mock questioning look. She knew exactly what he was referring to.

"You can't walk around me with those shorts on and expect me to not look your ass."

"Who said I was expecting that?" This time with a look of innocence.

"You are a cruel and evil woman. And just for that, here is my first choice." He looked at her with a smug grin.

"Nightmare on Elm Street? Oh, c'mon, Bobby. Have some pity on me."

"Nope. I won. My choice."

"I could knock that smug little grin right off your face right about now."

"Aw, Eames. You should be nice to me, you might need to snuggle during the scary parts." He knew she was getting mad at him and it was making him laugh.

"I'll be fine over here, don't you worry about me. Just watch your stupid movie."

Apparently, when it comes to scary movies Eames is all talk. With in 5 minutes she started inching closer and closer to him. By the time the first victim met their death, she was curled up around his waist and he had his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

He watched the very violent, scary movie with a grin on his face the whole time.

--

Bobby stares at his clock. 3:04 a.m. _Shit_.

No matter how he tried, he could not fall asleep. The more he laid there, the more frustrated he was getting. He wanted to get up and walk around, but he didn't want to wake up Eames. He looked over at her.

She was sleeping so soundly. They had watched the whole movie, but then watched a little of a funny movie (Arthur) just so Eames could relax after being so scared. She had stayed curled up next to him for the second movie as well, but moved to her side of the bed once it was time to go to sleep. However, over the past few hours he had noticed that she was inching her way closer. _She sure does toss and turn a lot. Between the two of us this bed looks like a war zone every morning_. Bobby grinned at the thought.

Then, his mind went racing again. This time it was flooded with the memories of holding her breasts. He was picturing her face and the sounds she made as he moved his hand under her shirt. He let his imagination wander, _what would have happened if that damn nurse hadn't shown up_? _Christ, she felt so good, she looked so good…she tasted so damn good_.

He focused on her. She was laying on her back. She had her left arm, the arm closest to him, up over her head. Her left leg, that was tucked under her right calf, was almost touching his leg. Her knee was right there. So close to his thigh. He turned on his side and contact was made. He stared at her knee and his thigh for a few minutes, just taking in how it felt. Trying to pretend it was so normal. He would hold onto this feeling so he could replay it over and over once she was gone. _Once she was gone_… the thought of that made him feel as if he was kicked in the stomach. _Maybe she won't go_. _Don't_ _I wish_.

He looked at the sheet and blanket that she had pulled up so they were just covering her breasts. _Do I dare? Can I get away with this again_? He could feel his heart rate pick up and excitement tear through his body. With a full adrenaline rush urging him on, he gently took hold of the covers. As he dragged them down he watched her face for any sign that she was waking up. He was fully prepared to open his hand, pull it away and close his eyes at any second. But he didn't have to. She didn't move. _Thank God she's a heavy sleeper_, he thought as a grin crept across his mouth.

Once he had the covers pulled down to her hips he was ready to go. He opened his hand wide and held it over her stomach. He didn't let it touch her at first. He just held it here, trying to feel her body heat. Then he moved his hand keeping it just above her tank top and moved towards her neck.

Then, he used the tips of his fingers to touch her on the right side of her neck. He imagined what it tasted like. He couldn't wait to find out. He let his fingers rest there for a while feeling her muscles move as she swallowed. When he was ready, he moved his fingers along the line of her neck down to her collar bone. From the collar bone, he drew a line down her chest until he found her breast. He made a few circles around her breast and was amazed to see her nipple become erect. _Oh God, I would give anything to be able to have her in my mouth right now_. By now, his cock was on fire for her. His whole body was aching. _Why am I doing this to myself_?! It dawned on him; b_ecause I love her_.

He forced himself to break away from her breast and continued down her belly. He was cursing the tank top. He wanted more than anything to feel her skin. His need to touch her and feel her overwhelmed him. He never wanted to stop.

_Do I slide my hand under her shirt? Even just a little_? He warred with himself for several minutes. And once again, his desire won out. He used his thumb to raise the hem up a little and that allowed the rest of his hand to breach the barrier of material and find the soft skin he was searching for. He sighed heavily and fluttered his eyes closed.

Then he laid there. Completely still. He quieted his own breathing so he could take in hers. His hand felt her belly rise and fall with each breath. His ears heard her gentle intake of breath, a short pause, followed by a soft exhale. Over and over. He became entranced. And that is how he finally fell asleep.

--

_I'm cold_. Eames woke up. Dawn was just breaking. And she was cold. She reached down to pull up her covers and found Bobby's hand on her belly. _Under my shirt and on my belly?! What the hell?!_

She looked at him and she could swear that he was smiling. _Will ya look at that_?

She smiled herself. She pulled the covers up, left his hand there, and went back to sleep.

--

a/n: I was ready to post this on Wed, but wanted to add to this chapter. I hope this isn't dragging on. I haven't been feeling well this week, so I haven't been inspired. Maybe it's just me... are you all still happy out there? I will say, I have 1/2 of the next chapter written, and well, let's just say I'm enjoying writing that one!


	11. Chapter 11

First, business, I should have done this all along, not just on chapter 1: I own nothing, not one single character *kicks the ground*.

Observation: Since I've been writing fan fiction, I know now how to spell tongue properly! Also, embarrassment. I feel so accomplished!

I've decided to publish chapter 11 a little earlier than I had planned. I am doing it today in honor of the fact that we (in the USA) were supposed to be blessed with a new episode of LOCI. But nooooooo. So, instead of cursing the network, I will (hopefully) give you some new entertainment of my own!

I would like to dedicate this chapter to:

Snyder -- who's been having a rough few days. Hope this cheers you up a little!

LeaveIt -- who begged me to post this today. See, I can be swayed by begging! Don't tell my kids that!

Enjoy~

--

Morning came. Bobby and Alex spent it once again reading the paper and sharing stories over coffee and bagels.

"…so we found an officer in town and asked him to come to the house with us and walk through it since none of us girls remembered leaving the door unlocked and the TV going. He was nice enough to follow us there. But then once we got inside we got a look at his name tag… 'Officer Wunderlich' was his name!" Bobby burst out laughing and looked at her like she was making the whole thing up. "I kid you not, Bobby! THAT was his name! And that's how we came up with the game, 'Pin the dick on Wunderlich'!" By now they were both hysterical. She proceeded to tell him about how they made a life sized poster of the poor officer and cut out and decorated several different size dicks and they played the game just like pin the tail on the donkey. Bobby had tears in his eyes by the time she was finished.

"You know what Eames, I'm glad I didn't know you back then. I think you and your friends would have scared the shit out of me."

"We still could, I bet! I still have that 'dark side', you know." She winked at him.

"I'd like to meet them someday."

She looked at him with a surprised look on her face, then quickly softened it so he wasn't embarrassed, "I'd like that, Bobby. It means a lot to me that you would want to do that."

Trying to step away from what he said, Bobby replied, "yeah, you guys would make an excellent case study for me." She threw a pillow at his face and when he pulled it away he found her sticking her tongue out at him. His eyes were drawn to her tongue and he felt his erection starting immediately. He casually moved the pillow to his waist.

Right then the phone rang. _Saved by the bell_! He answered it. It was Dr. Olivet. She wanted to come over and check on how he was doing. She said a conference she was supposed to attend had been cancelled and it freed up her afternoon so she could stop in later on if that was good. He reluctantly agreed. He knew it was a necessary evil.

Right after they hung up, Eames' cell phone rang. Dr. Olivet was calling her, too. She explained to Eames that she also needed to be checked on since the shooting was traumatic for her as well. Eames told Olivet that she was staying with Bobby so they would be able to meet today as well. Dr. Olivet was surprised to hear they were together. She said she would leave enough time to visit with each one separately. She didn't let them know that she would also be observing them together. She's been curious about them ever since Alex saw her after her kidnapping. Something about the way Alex had spoken about them during her sessions intrigued the doctor.

The minute Eames hung up the phone she jumped into action. She had about two hours before Olivet got there and she wanted to clean. But first she took a shower. While she was in the shower, Bobby made a quick phone call to Wheeler. He asked her to pick up a gift for Alex. He wanted to make sure she knew how much he appreciated her help. Bobby asked Megan to get her a gift certificate for a day spa. Megan told him she knew just the one to go to and she would pick one up and drop it by either later or tomorrow. Bobby thanked her and quickly got off the phone so Alex didn't hear him.

Eames came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of black yoga pants and a black tank top; she stayed barefoot. She left her hair wet to air dry and she was ready to go.

She shuffled Bobby off to the bathroom. She then grabbed new clothes for him and met him back in there. She didn't give either one of them time to contemplate her stripping his shorts and boxers off of him. She was gentle, but she was girl on a mission.

As Bobby showered, she changed the bed linens and made the bed up. She removed all evidence of their cohabitation from that room. She didn't want to give Olivet any unnecessary ammunition.

Bobby called her when he was ready for her. She was still flying around the place so when she approached him, all he could think of was what happened the last time she tried to do this quickly.

"Eames!" The panic in his voice seemed to snap her out of her haste. She looked at him as is if to say, 'what???'

"Please… can we do this slowly?" He said quietly trying to calm her down.

She let out a big breath. "Sorry. Of course."

He stood there and watched her as she squatted down in front of him. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about this. He knew he should be forcing his mind on other things, but he couldn't. What he wanted to do was watch her. So he gave in to what he wanted.

He didn't lift his foot right away. He was enjoying her in this position too much to speed the process along this time. She looked up at him impatiently. He waited until their eyes locked for a few seconds before he slowly raised his first foot. Then he waited until she looked up at him again before he lifted his second foot. Normally, by now Eames would have picked up on what he was doing. But she was in such a state about Olivet that his intentions were lost on her.

She slowly lifted the boxers up his legs and under the towel. Then she carefully pulled them out and up and secured them on his waist. Just before she squatted down again, she thought she felt his breath in her hair. But she was already moving back down so she wasn't sure.

Bobby did the same thing with his sweatpants, he waited until she looked up. This time when she did he waited a little longer to lift his foot. That's when she caught it. She glanced down quickly to hook his foot in the pants then looked back up at him to be sure. She saw his eyes. They were dark and intense. She could tell his breathing was shallow because she could see his chest rising and falling rapidly. She felt a strong stirring whip throughout her belly and her body became heated. She didn't urge him on to lift his second foot. She just stayed there, almost kneeling before him, waiting for him to let her know when he was done looking at her in that position. After about a minute, he lifted his second foot. Without taking her eyes off of him, she slid the sweatpants around his ankle. She didn't move. She was waiting for him to tell her to.

He knew what she was doing. Just the thought of her giving him that power made him insane. He felt his body tightening. He was craving her touch. He waited several seconds more before he spoke.

"Now." His voice, full of lust, cracked a little. The sound of it made her immediately wet.

Eames held the sides of his waistband with her thumbs and pointer fingers. She tucked her other fingers inside his pants so she could trail them along his legs. She moved her eyes to his legs and studied them as she started. She moved slowly and seductively along his calves and thighs. She felt his muscles twitching so she would stop every now and then to caress them.

Eames got them as far as the bottom of his boxers and stopped. She kept her eyes on her hands but by now she was standing straight up. Bobby put his hands on her shoulders. Before she went any further, she took hold of the towel. Very slowly, Eames turned her eyes to his and removed the towel.

By now Bobby felt paralyzed. The desire that was surging through him was more than he could take. All he could think of was what he wanted to do to her right then. He pulled her closer to him and tried to bend down to kiss her but was stopped as pain from his wound tore through him. He couldn't help but gasp. Alex knew right away what the problem was. She stayed in his arms, and leaned in and kissed his chest like she did on their first day home from the hospital. She rested her left hand on his ass while her right hand explored him. As she moved her hand around, she trailed her mouth behind it; kissing and licking a path across his skin. She began on his chest, moved to his left shoulder and down his arm until she kissed and licked his fingers. Then she reversed direction; up his arm and across his shoulder. As she moved across his neck she got up on her tip toes and she let her breasts rub across his chest. Then she moved down his right shoulder and arm. All the while Bobby was feeling very much like he couldn't breath. The sensations of her hand and her mouth were more than he could bear. He wanted so much to take her to the bed, but he couldn't. _This mother fucking hole in my stomach_!

Alex could feel the tension in his body. His frustration was evident. His breathing was erratic and his face was flushed. He was sweating. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted slightly upward while his mouth was slack. She heard small moans and he would whisper her name from time to time.

When she got to his right hand she knelt down. Keeping her eyes on his face, she began sucking on his fingers. This made him snap his head down towards her. His mouth was now gaping. She took one at a time into her mouth, rolling it around her tongue, then letting it slip almost completely out of her mouth before slowly sucking it back in again.

"Jesus, Eames." That's all he could manage as he watched her.

Then, she moved over so she was in front of his very hard cock. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

She turned her eyes to his boxers and after several seconds she lifted her gaze back to his. Her hands, which were now gently grabbing his thighs, moved up and slowly began to pull his sweatpants back down. She got them down to his ankles then just as before, dragged her hands back up his legs torturously slow. She stopped her left hand half way up his thigh. Her right hand kept moving up.

"Jesus Christ, Eames, what are you doin'?" He barely recognized his own voice. It was deep and husky from desire.

"Shhh." She took hold of his cock over his shorts and began rubbing it. His groan was loud and gutteral.

"Eames, please."

"Please what, Bobby? Please keep going?" She had a wicked smile for him as she spoke. She waited a little while for a response but when she didn't get one, she slid her hand under his boxers and took hold of him again.

This made Bobby gasp. "Oh my God…you feel.." He was panting.

His reactions were turning Alex on more and more. She could feel herself getting wetter and wetter as her center was quivering with desire for him.

She let go and he groaned loudly.

"Bobby, I wanna do this for you. Let me do this for you." Her voice was sexy and serious.

As she spoke to him he realized that she was doing 'the move' on him. For real. All of his crazy thoughts of her doing it on someone else came flooding back to him. In a split second the reason she was there with him shot into his mind. _What am I doing? How can I let her do this to me_?

"**EAMES****, ****STOP**!" With that he jumped back a little breaking their connection.

They stayed there for a minute just staring at each other. Both of them catching their breath.

Then Eames folded herself towards the floor. She put her hands up to her face and shook her head. Realization that he just rejected her was setting in.

Bobby was still panting, sweat was pouring off of him.

They stayed that way for a minute, neither one speaking.

Then Bobby realized he needed her to lift his pants again. _How mortifying_. How was he going to ask her to do this again?

As if on cue, Eames leaned closer and pulled his pants back up. Once she got to his hips, he took over. Now she was back on her feet.

She stood there, arms crossed, looking at him. He still couldn't look at her.

"Bobby."

"No, Eames. Please. Let me… Eames. Alex. I'm so sorry. This… was my fault. I started it. I don't know how I let things go that far."

"Bobby." She was trying to urge him to look at her.

He put his head down further and lifted his hands in front of himself as if to quiet her. He did.

Then he looked at her.

"You mean too much to me to take advantage of you like that. You… you…deserve so much more. You- you've given me so much, I-I-I can't let you do… that."

"Bobby."

"Please Eames, just say you except my apology."

"It wasn't all you, you know." She was trying to interject, trying to get him to understand he wasn't forcing her to do anything. She wanted this. _Didn't he_?

"Y-yes, it was me. So just please. Say you forgive me and let's - "

"Don't you dare say let's pretend this didn't happen."

"But we should. We have to."

"Fuck you, Goren." With that, she left the bathroom.

He stood there for a minute collecting himself. He could hear her pulling out the vacuum. Once it turned on he felt it was safe to leave the bathroom. He went into the bedroom, grabbed a pillow, and headed for the couch.

Alex was vacuuming the living room. She saw him trying to lay down. Despite how pissed she was, she dropped the vacuum and helped him lay down. Without another word, she picked the vacuum back up and finished the job. Inside, she was broken. All she wanted to do was to scream and cry. _What __am__ I to this man? What the hell was that? Am I reading this relationship all wrong? Am I just convenient to him? Maybe this is only happening because I'm __her__e… because no one else is around for him to be with? _That thought made her feel like she was going to get sick. _Maybe I'm projecting my feelings onto him? Maybe he doesn't care about me like that at all? How can I be so stupid?_

Eames continued torturing herself with self-doubt while she cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom. When she felt the place was presentable for the Olivet she went and changed. She emerged from the bedroom in a pair of black jeans, a black t-shirt and a grey zip-up hoodie over it. She went into the bathroom, brushed her hair and put on some make-up. It was the first time she's worn make up in over a week. She felt good, despite the pit in her stomach over what happened earlier. Part of her wanted to pack her things and leave. Right then and there. He made it clear he was not interested in her and her pride was destroyed. But, the more she thought about it, she knew she had to stay. She was there to help him get better. She promised him she would. So, that's the way it was.

She looked at her feet and went to the bedroom. She contemplated shoes but decided to remain barefoot and then she went out to check on Goren.

Bobby took one look at her and his heart melted. Before he knew it he was speaking. "You look beautiful, Eames." She glared at him.

"Alex. Please understand where I was coming from. I want you so badly. And I want nothing more than to be with you. B-but n-not like this."

She stood before him motionless. "Are you sure it's me you want?"

"What?!"

"Are you sure I'm not just…convenient? Is that why you stopped me before, because you realized I'm not what you're used to? Maybe it's not really me you want, Bobby. Maybe you're just wanting…someone!"

"Eames!"

"No, Bobby… you're used to having someone in your bed. You're not used to being alone for so long. You said yesterday that I could never be just another girl to you… well, I think I'm just the right girl and the right time."

"Stop!" He screamed at her at the top of his lungs.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. It was then that depth of her feelings became clear to him.

"Alex, please come over here."

She stayed where she was.

"Eames. What you just said… it's just… not true."

"What isn't true, Bobby?"

"Any of it. You are not a convenience. Do you really think I would do that to you? Hmm? Do you really think I could just use you for my own needs and toss you aside? Well, I can't. The answer is, I would never and could never do that."

He waited for her to take it all in then he continued. "And as for me being used to having someone in my bed...that just isn't true. I mean, I date. I will occasionally hook up with someone, but it's not often. And when it happens… it's most definitely only to serve a purpose, not for anything… emotional."

Her tears were freely falling now.

"Then why. Why'd you stop me?"

"Do you think THAT is what I want from you?"

She smiled at him. "Well… yeah." Raising her eyebrows.

He laughed at that and gave her an embarrassed grin. "I mean, I guess I do… but not like that," he quickly added that last part.

She finally moved over to him and sat on the edge of the couch. He took her hand in his kissed it. They smiled at each other.

"I'm sorry." They said simultaneously.

--

Dr. Olivet arrived right on time. She said she wanted to speak to them together so they settled down on in the living room. Olivet took the recliner, and at first Alex sat on the arm of the couch with her feet tangled with Bobby's. She was playing with her fingers. After they exchanged pleasantries and Bobby filled her in on his physical recovery, they got into the reason the doctor was there.

"Bobby, how much of the actual shooting and trauma afterwards to do you remember?"

"I don't remember being shot. The first memory I have is… being on the stretcher and Alex is hovering over me applying pressure on the wound." As he said that he instinctively rubbed his bandage and looked at Alex. Alex watched him intensely. Olivet watched both of them.

"How about afterwards, in the hospital."

"Pain. I remember a lot of pain. And Alex. I just remember her being there every time I woke up. She never left me alone."

"She still hasn't." Olivet added that part to get a reaction. And she got one.

Bobby looked at Alex and smiled, while Alex put her head down and blushed.

"And Alex, how about you. You didn't have the advantage of being unconscious for any of this. You've lived it all…tell me… do you remember how you felt just after Bobby was shot?"

It took Alex a long time to reply.

"Scared."

"Of what."

Alex didn't answer, she kept her head down and shook her head.

"How about when you were waiting during surgery. How did you feel then?"

Alex paused. "Raw." _Why_ _is she doing this to me? Why does she want me to feel these things again_?

"So, we're back to one word answers? Is that all I'm going to get from you today?" She was trying to pull Alex out. Olivet remembered how difficult it was to work with her the last time they had sessions together. Alex fought her tooth and nail then, and she's doing it again.

"Yup." Head still down.

"Alex, please give me five words this time. What were you so scared of?"

She thought for while. She actually took a couple of minutes to answer. Then when Alex replied she was just above a whisper. "Scared of losing Bobby forever."

With that, tears came streaming down. Little spots of wetness were forming on her jeans. Without thinking about it, Bobby moved himself to a sitting position and took Alex's arm. The minute she felt his hand, she moved to sit right next to him. He put his arm around her back and kissed her hair.

This was all she needed. Without further coaxing, Alex opened up.

"All I could think of was that he was gone. That I would never have him in my life again. Ya know, I've always known he's been so afraid that I would leave him. The thought never occurred to me that he would ever leave me."

"Alex… sweetheart." Bobby continued to kiss her hair. He rubbed her arm with his free hand.

Alex tilted her head up to look at him and he tried to dry her cheeks. Then he gently kissed her forehead.

"Bobby, I don't know what I would do if you had... " she couldn't get herself to say the word out loud. "That is something I would never recover from."

Dr. Olivet watched this tender exchange. It was more than she was expecting from either one of them. Having worked with both of them in the past, she knew they both protected their feelings with not just walls, but fortresses. Impenetrable is the word she had actually used to describe both of them. Because of this, she found their partnership to be an anomaly…and that is why it worked so well. Even though they were a young, attractive, mixed sex partnership, they kept things strictly business. Even after Alex's kidnapping, Olivet noticed that while Alex had strong reactions whenever Bobby's name was brought up, she always kept Bobby and her feelings for him at arms length.

He was definitely not at arms length any longer.

Once Alex regained her composure, Olivet continued on a different subject.

"So, Alex is staying here…"

"Yes, yes she's been here helping me." Bobby kept holding her. Alex was resting her head on his arm and she had one hand resting on his thigh. Olivet pretended not to notice this for now.

"How's it been working out?"

"Good." Bobby answered as he tilted his head down toward Alex to get her reaction. "I mean, I think good. She's has been an incredible help to me, if she wasn't here, I'd have to be in a rehab place somewhere."

"Alex, how's it been working out for you? Going stir crazy? Do you miss your own place?" Olivet wanted Alex's reaction now.

"Like Bobby said, it's been good. He's been getting better everyday and I'm glad I can help him out."

"But are you happy here?" Olivet rephrased the question.

"Yeah, I'm happy. I do go out running to get some fresh air so that's good. But I'm happy, Bobby needs me and I'm happy to be here." She smiled at Olivet while she gently squeezed his thigh.

Olivet stood up and looked around the apartment. "So…I only see one bedroom. Where have you been sleeping, Alex?"

Alex's smile quickly faded.

"Well, I've, uh, been staying in there." She pointed to the bedroom.

"Then where has Bobby been staying?" Olivet asked as she looked around the living room for evidence of blankets or pillows.

Alex removed her hand from Bobby's thigh. Olivet didn't miss her doing that.

"Have you been sleeping on the couch with that wound?" Olivet said this in a tone that let them know she wouldn't buy it if they tried to tell her he was.

"No. I've been staying in there also." Guilt was all over his face. He was sure Olivet saw it.

"Really." She waited for more information.

Alex cleared her throat a little then moved herself back to her perch on the arm of the couch. "Dr. Olivet, it's not what you think. It's just Bobby has a big bed and since I was here to help him, I needed to be close to him. You know, in case he needed something in the middle of the night."

"Has he, you know… needed anything?" Now, Olivet was just screwing with them a little. She wanted to see how far they would take this charade until she got the real answer.

They both began blushing wildly. Each thinking about something different. Bobby was recalling his little "sessions" that Eames has no idea about. Alex was remembering how he comforted her after her nightmares. Then Eames thought… _that's it! Change the subject!_

"I've been having nightmares."

Now, Dr. Olivet found this statement of Alex's the most telling thing to come out of this whole visit. _Alex never gives up her feelings; her privacy. For her to volunteer this information, I must have been really close to something there. Too close for her comfort_.

"Really Alex, can you tell me about them?"

_Shit! Now I have to talk about them?! Shit_!

"Well, the places and circumstances are always different, but they always end up the same way. And sometimes, I'm the one who does it." She still couldn't say the words 'Bobby's killed'.

"Alex, these nightmares are, unfortunately, normal. They are your minds way of straightening out the trauma, trying to put it in it's place. The best thing for you to do is to talk about it. Like we are now. The more you let it out, the less your mind will have to reconcile on it's own."

"Alex, what happens when you have a nightmare?", The doctor continued.

"Bobby helps me. He talks to me and gets me to fall back to sleep." She glanced at Bobby, who was hanging on her every word.

Dr. Olivet paused and looked at the two of them. She tried to figure out the best thing to do and say next.

"Well, it sounds to me like Bobby is helping you just as much as you're helping Bobby."

A smile broke out on Alex's face and she tried to wipe it away. She looked at Bobby as she answered the doctor.

"You could say that, I guess."

Now, Olivet dug in.

"It seems to me you two have gotten very close. Am I right?"

It was Bobby's turn to do some deflection. He needed to buy himself some time to come up with something good. _Answer a question with a question. _

"Why would you say that?"

Olivet was no slouch. She knew what he was doing.

"Well, let's see… since I've gotten here you've had almost constant physical contact. When Alex was upset you drew her to you and she willingly let you comfort her by holding and kissing her. You sat together for a while with her hand on your leg like it was a natural thing. You can't stop looking at each other. And, oh yeah, you're sleeping in the same bed together! So, I guess I've just answered my own question, unless you have something to add. Do you have anything to add, Bobby?"

"Actually, I do."

Alex looked at him and shook her head. _Of course he does_.

"Dr. Olivet, while all those things are true, I don't like the insinuation that we are… more than friends. While we are sleeping in the same bed, we are not sleeping together in the other sense of the phrase. Alex has been here to help me and we have had the best of intentions all along. We are not trying to pull one over on you or the department. The truth of the matter is, is that we are not having a relationship. Not the kind you are thinking about anyway." Bobby had his lips pursed and his head tilted a little to the side. Alex just kept shaking her head.

"Bobby, you want to hear how I see it? Your intentions may be honorable, but something tells me that if you were healthy enough, I wouldn't be insinuating anything. I'd be stating fact."

He wasn't about to let her win. At least without a good fight. "Your logic is all wrong Dr. Olivet. Because if I was healthy, we wouldn't be sitting here right now discussing whether or not Eames and are sleeping together, now would we?"

"Honestly? You want my honest opinion?" Bobby nodded and she continued. "We might not be sitting right here, right now discussing your sex life, but really Bobby, that's just logistics. The end result, in my opinion, is it's inevitable."

It was as if her words were like a bomb that was dropped miles away. You could see the flash immediately, but it took several seconds to feel the impact. The full extent of the fallout would take even longer to reach Bobby and Alex.

"Bobby, Alex? Anything further to add? I'd really like a response to what I just said." Dr. Olivet watched them. Alex had clearly shut down. She wasn't even going to provide her patented one word answers at this point. But Bobby, his eyes were glued to Olivet. The problem was, she could not figure out what that meant.

"Dr. Olivet, I think we're done here."

She got her answer, he was shutting down as well.

"Okay then." She stood up. "You both have my number, please call if you need to. But there aren't any mandatory sessions after this one."

"Well, then, I guess I'll say good bye. I can't speak for Alex, but I'll be just fine." She picked up on his tone. He was angry and anxious for her to leave. Now she knew she hit too close to home for his comfort.

"Let me just say one thing to both of you. I know you've known one other for a long time, and it's natural to lean on each other. It's okay to do. And as I watched you today, I saw clear evidence of genuine love pass between you. It was in everything you did, and everything you're still doing for each other. Just… be careful. Even though you love each other, don't confuse that love with the need to reassure each other that you are both going to be safe. That being said…do I think what you're doing is a mistake? No. Just make sure you both know where you're heads, and hearts, are at before you take another step."

Bomb number two. Dr. Olivet sure has an full arsenal.

--


	12. Chapter 12

--

Bobby and Alex dealt with Olivet's revelations true to form. They ignored them. For now, anyway.

Alex went to the kitchen to make lunch and Bobby clicked on the TV. He was flipping through the channels absent mindedly. His mind was on Olivet; _'as I watched you today, I saw clear evidence of genuine love pass between you' _He was replaying the session in his head. _She's right. There is love; from both of us_. _Alex, too. I know it's there, isn't it_? He was still unsure. He knew she loved him, but in what capacity. That's his question. He found it so hard to believe that she could be in love with him. _Why would she waste her life on me_?

He was pulled from his thoughts by her coming back with lunch.

"Grilled cheese with bacon!" She proudly proclaimed as she handed him his plate. He had remained in his earlier sitting position and was pleasantly surprised he was not in pain.

"One of my all time favorites! Thank you."

"I figured that about you…see how lucky you are that I'm such a good detective." She gave him a quick smile then handed him a napkin and settled in next to him.

They watched Andy Griffith as they ate. They laughed about Mayberry, the uniforms, and the police station that was depicted in the show. It was a perfect show to lighten their moods.

Just as they were finishing lunch there was a knock at the door.

Alex rolled her eyes. "This better not be Olivet back to drop another bomb." She went to the door and opened it without checking the peephole. To her surprise, it was Logan and Wheeler.

"Hey guys, c'mon in!"

"Hi Alex, hey Bobby, how are you both doin?" Megan was smiling at them as she sat in the chair. She had a back pack with her, which Alex didn't seem to pay any attention to. Bobby on the other hand eyed it up and knew it's contents. He smiled at the bag and then at Wheeler. She smiled back.

Logan didn't sit. He just paced around, looking out the window, at books and the few pictures Bobby had displayed. He was carrying a small bag in his hand.

"So, Bobby, how's it hangin'? Bored out of your skull yet?" He wanted to get crude and ask if Alex was keeping him busy but he knew that that would only illicit anger from the females in the room. _See, no one can say I'm not learning_!

"Things are good, Mike. I'm not too bored yet. We've been keeping… busy." Just as he said it he knew just how wide he opened the door for Logan. He cringed while he waited.

"Logan, don't even go there." Alex jumped in before Mike could properly respond.

"You ruin all the fun, you know that, Eames?" He was laughing as he pointed at her with the hand that was holding the bag. "Oh, I almost forgot," he tossed the bag at Bobby, "this is for you."

"What's this?"

"Just a…get well thing. You know."

"A gift?!" Bobby asked with amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, so don't ever say I never gave you anything." Mike was trying to hide his pleasure in giving his friend a get well gift.

Alex and Megan just smiled at each other.

"Oh, wow, movies! Thanks, Mike."

Alex's ears perked up at the mention of movies. "Oh God, I'm almost afraid to see the titles."

"Don't be wise, Eames. I'll have you know I picked out one for him and one for you. I hope I did okay. There's a receipt in there if you already have them."

Bobby pulls out the first movie, "Rear Window. Wow. I love Hitchcock!" He looked at Mike and smiled his appreciation. "Here Eames, you open the next one." He tossed the bag to Alex.

She peeked in first then slowly removed the movie, "Jerry Maguire…" She turned to Bobby, "have you seen this before?"

"No, I haven't. But I'd like to."

"Well Logan, thank you. I wasn't expecting these movies. Good or bad, you always find a way to surprise me."

"You're welcome, Eames. See, I'm not a complete jerk!"

"I'm going to put these in the bedroom and we'll watch one of them tonight." Alex hopped up and went into the bedroom.

Logan's eyes popped out of his head with her statement but Bobby and Megan paid no attention.

As soon as Alex left the room Megan quickly opened her back pack and pulled out a glossy white gift bag with beautiful multi-colored tissue paper bursting from it's opening.

"Megan, this is great, thank you for helping me out here. Hey, can you that in there?" Bobby pointed to the armoire in the corner. Megan went over to it and tucked the bag inside the cabinet door. "How much do I owe you?"

"Here's the receipt. No rush, Bobby, when ever you have a chance."

I'll get you a check. He slowly stood up and went to his desk. He quickly wrote the check and handed it to Megan.

All while this was going on, Mike was standing there shocked. His mouth was still hanging open.

Just then, Alex reappeared.

"Am I the only one here who thinks it's odd that these two are watching movies in bed together?" Mike was looking at all of them like they were from another planet.

Wheeler picked up on his line of thinking and chimed in. "Yeah, what's up with that?" Sometimes she loved egging him on.

"Not this again?" Eames sunk down onto the couch. Bobby joined her.

"Again?!" Mike was even more confused.

"Yeah, Olivet was here and she had a field day with that one." Eames didn't bother to hide her aggravation with the doctor.

"I would think she would! So tell me, what the hell is going on here guys. You two shackin' up?"

Bobby spoke up first. "Mike, as we told Olivet, we're just sharing a bed. Nothing more."

Mike gave him his best 'stop trying to bullshit me' look.

"Well you're not just sleeping, you're watching TV in there, too. What - you guys just hang out in there all day when no one is around?"

Bobby and Alex couldn't help but look at each other. They were both thinking of how they've been spending the mornings, lying in bed talking, laughing and reading the paper.

Unfortunately for them, Mike caught them.

"Ah ha! You are hangin' out in there. What the hell, guys?"

"Mike, you've got it all wrong." Alex was doing her best to sound logical.

"Okay, before we go to sleep, we pick out a movie and we hang out and watch it." She didn't want to share their morning ritual with Mike or Megan or anyone. She wanted to keep that private. Bobby watched her and smiled to himself. He liked that she wasn't sharing that part of their day with Logan and Wheeler.

Logan asked, "yeah, and what's goin' on with these movies? I see the looks you two are giving each other… there's more to this story and I wanna hear it." With that he leaned up against the wall and crossed his ankles.

Alex continued, "well, the first night, I picked a movie. And it was nice." She looked at Bobby with a fake smile.

"Then the next night was Bobby's turn to choose, and well, he chose a really awful movie." She exaggerated the word awful and rolled her eyes.

Logan looked at Bobby.

"The Shining" Bobby said out loud.

"Nice." Mike nodded his head while raising his eyebrows.

"I know, right?" Bobby looked back at Alex, she was giving him the evil eye. "Sorry, continue." He cast a quick glance back a Mike who was trying not to laugh.

"Anyway…" Alex said a little louder than necessary. "The following night was my turn. And Bobby bet me he could pick out what movie I had chosen… if he won, he would pick the movie for three nights. If I won, I could pick the movie for three nights."

"Oh no, he didn't." Wheeler interjected.

"Oh yes, he did!" Bobby said with all the pride he could muster. Logan and Wheeler couldn't help but find this all very funny. They were both laughing.

"See what a sore winner I'm livin' with here?" Alex was still pissed about it. Bobby heard her reaction and bit his tongue so he wouldn't laugh at her again.

"So, who's turn is it tonight?" Logan was grinning from ear to ear.

"It's still the jerks' turn."

This made Bobby, Mike and Megan laugh even harder.

"Ya know, Eames. You should be nice to me. I yield all the power tonight. You play your cards right and maybe I'll be nice about my next pick."

"Screw you, Goren."

"Well, 'Saw' it is then."

He was rubbing it in. For some reason, getting Alex pissed off about the movie made him feel so good. He just couldn't resist. Then he thought about how mad she was at him the night before, but then she ended up giving in and curling up right next to him. Holding onto him for protection. As tough as she is, inside she can be so scared about some things and she was letting Bobby in on that secret. _That must be why I love doing this so much._

Megan stood up. "C'mon Logan, once again, you've done more harm than good." She dragged him to the door.

"Hey guys, don't do anything I would do!"

With that, Alex slammed the door in his face.

--

"Let's take a walk." Bobby was trying to get back into her good graces. He knew their argument was all in good fun, and he was hoping Alex thought so, too.

"Ya know what, Bobby. That is an excellent idea…let me get us both some shoes."

She came back to the room wearing her sneakers and carrying his. She helped him with his shoes and once they were all set, they took off.

--

"Man it feels great to breath in the fresh air. I'd almost forgotten what's it's like to be outside." As Bobby spoke, he was taking in the sights and sounds of his neighborhood. He was appreciating more than he ever had.

Bobby and Alex walked around outside for the rest of the afternoon. They window shopped, stopped for coffee, and they people watched in a park. It was a much needed break for both of them. As they were heading home, Bobby took Alex's hand in his. Their fingers interlaced and he brought them up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand. They continued walking along, and Bobby was overcome with the feeling of normalcy. _This is what it could be like...for us. How can I make this happen? Will she want this, too_?

They were approaching the corner market and Bobby had a thought. He led her inside.

"I want to make dinner for you tonight."

"No complaints here... you sure you're up to it? You've been on your feet for a while now." She was giving him a concerned look.

"I feel great, and I want to do this...for you." He punctuated his statement with a kiss on her cheek. That elicited a large smile from Alex. "You know Eames, you have a beautiful smile. I wish I saw it more often." He touched his free hand to her chin and lightly kissed her lips.

"Keep doin' that and you will." Her smile grew bigger and Bobby felt his heart swell.

They picked up some groceries and headed back home.

--

Bobby made a simple but delicious dinner of pork chops in salsa with rice and a salad. He prepared the main meal and Alex made the salad. Then she set the table, using a table cloth and candles. It was a wonderful afternoon capped off by a romantic dinner. Over dinner they laughed about Logan and Lewis and for the first time, they both acknowledged how odd their situation must seem to others. They wondered if Ross was going to visit again and imagined how odd it would be if the chief of detectives tried to visit as well.

When dinner was finished, Alex went to help but Bobby up put his hand on hers to stop her.

"I have something for you." She was taken aback because he voice sounded nervous and shy. She watched him get up, go to the armoire and produce a gift bag. He walked back over, presented the bag to her and sat back down.

"Bobby? This is beautiful. What is it?" Alex felt a sudden flush because she knew he was watching her reaction intently.

"I-I wanted to give you something. Something special, j-just for you."

"Why?"

"Why? Eames, you've done so much for me. You've put your life on hold for me. I know I can never really tell you or show you how thankful I am for...you. This is just a small gift, a small token of my appreciation."

She was looking at him shaking her head trying to fight the tears that were trying to form.

"Eames... open it!" He was excited to see her reaction, he wanted to see her smile again.

She slowly pulled out the tissue paper and found an envelope with the name of a day spa embossed on the front. Her eyes lit up. He began to get fidgety with anticipation. She carefully opened the envelope and pulled out a certificate.

"Read it!" He was enjoying every minute of this.

"This certificate entitles Alexandra Eames to a day of beauty. This includes a facial, a full body massage, reflexology, a manicure and a pedicure." She kept her eyes on the piece of paper, not trusting herself keep her composure if she looked at him right then. She pretended to be re-reading it. When she felt she was ready, she looked up. But the look on Bobby's face destroyed her facade. Tears came fast and furious.

"Eames?" He was so confused. He watched her as she tried desperately to stop crying. She looked at him again and the puppy dog look on his face made her laugh. Now, she was laughing and crying and Bobby had no idea what he did, or what to do. He was dumbfounded. Finally, Alex settled down.

"Bobby, I'm sorry... it's just..wow. First of all, thank you. Thank you, Bobby. I just... I wasn't expecting anything like this." She put her head down. "All I want from you is for you to be better." She looked at him and smiled. Sniffling a little she continued, "That being said I am definitely looking forward to using this." Her eyes were sparkling at him.

Now he had a satisfied look on his face. He knew he did good.

Without thinking she got up and went over to him. She leaned down to him and kissed him. She kissed his lips, then his nose, then his cheek and before she straightened up, she whispered 'thank you, Bobby' in his ear.

He couldn't move. He sat there for a minute as she began to clean up from dinner. She brought their plates over to the sink, then came back and reached his glass. When she did, he took hold her wrist and looked at her. She looked at his hand on her wrist for a few seconds, then turned her eyes to him. He stood up. Still holding her wrist, he led her to the couch. He carefully sat against the arm of couch so he was at eye level with her. He pulled her to him.

"I want to kiss you...okay?" He spoke softly as he tilted his head slightly and raised his eyebrows at her. She nodded.

He released her wrist, then moved both hands up and cradled her face. She moved closer to him and put her hands on his shoulders. Their bodies were touching. He gently pulled her lips to his.

Their kiss was tender. Bobby was savoring every feeling. His lips touching hers. Her skin against his palms. His fingertips brushing gently through her silky hair. He felt her hands slide from his shoulders and wrap around his neck. Her fingers... gliding down his back...up his neck again, and then finally dancing through his hair.

His wandering mind was then drawn back to their lips. He felt her tongue running along his lower lip, begging for entrance. He gladly obliged. Her tongue was soft; slightly demanding. He focused on how her tongue felt against his, and how it roamed around inside of his mouth. As the kiss deepened, he moved his hands to her waist and pulled her hips towards his.

They groaned simultaneously. Then they laughed at each other; how they reacted the same way. He pulled away. He wanted so much more, but he knew he needed to stop. After all, 'just a kiss' is what he said.

He gave her a few soft pecks on her lips and then pressed his forehead to hers.

"That was nice." She spoke first.

"Mmmmm. You taste good, you know that?"

"Actually...no one has ever told me that before."

"Good."

"Why good?"

"Because it means I'm the first one. I like that." _And I want to be the last one_, he added silently.

"Bobby." She went to kiss him again, but he resisted. She looked at him confused.

"Eames, I don't want to get into that position again... wh-where I can't... " He said cautiously. He didn't want to bring up what happened earlier. She nodded at him in understanding.

"How 'bout then, we clean the kitchen and watch a movie."

"Thank you, Eames."

She smiled at him then stepped away. He missed her immediately, but then he thought of the movie he had picked. He knew it wouldn't be long before she was in his arms again.

--

"We're seriously going to watch 'Saw'?

"Hey, I gave you an out. I told you all you had to do was play your cards right but you told me to 'screw off', remember?" He replied with a little too much smugness for her liking.

"Don't rub in in, jackass."

He giggled at her. He was doing it again; getting his feisty partner all riled up, just to have her cave in and snuggle with him. Before the movie even started she was there - wrapped around his waist, her head on his chest. Then during the movie, when she got particularly scared, she'd squeeze tighter. When it was really bad, she would bury her head deep into his chest.

It worked again. And he loved it.


	13. Chapter 13

--

Bobby opened his eyes to find the room bright and sunny. Aside from waking up once or twice to turn over, he slept through the night. He thought of how nice it was when he did wake up a few times because Alex was there. She was no longer wrapped around his waist like when they were watching the movie. But still, she was near him. Sometimes she was curled up next to him touching his arm. Other times it was just her leg or her foot making the contact. He knew her presence in his bed was what had allowed him to sleep. It was all that he ever wanted. All he could ever hope for. A wave of sadness washed over him when he thought of her not there. He shook that thought from his mind and looked at her. She was just waking up. He closed his eyes before she opened hers; he pretended to be asleep. He heard her breathing change and the covers pull slightly as she stretched. He knew all of her habits by now. He knew after she stretched, she would lay there for a minute on her back with her eyes closed, allowing herself a slow entry into the day. Then she would eventually turn on her side and look at him.

He felt the bed move. He knew her eyes were on him.

"I know you're awake, Goren."

Bobby stayed in character. He remained motionless. He could hear her trying to stifle a laugh.

"I'm not buyin' it, Bobby." Even with his eye closed he knew she was smirking at him. He could hear it in her voice.

She now had her elbow propping her up; her head resting on her hand. She just laid there and waited. She loved it when he was playful with her. She shivered with excitement.

Bobby couldn't take it anymore. He pursed his lips in an attempt to hide his laughter.

"Ah ha! What I tell ya, Bobby." Laughter was in her voice.

He finally broke. He opened his eyes and looked at her. His whole body tingled at the sight of her. Her eyes were shining brightly. Her hair was messy but she didn't make any attempt to go straighten it like she did on those first couple of mornings. She looked so happy, relaxed…content.

"How'd you know?" His voice was filled with an emotion she couldn't put her finger on. Whatever it was, it made him happy. That's all she cared about.

"Oh, please. You were easy to spot as a faker." She was toying with him.

"Tell me… how?"

"Your breathing was all wrong. When you're really sleeping, it's slow and most times a little loud. Just now, it was too quiet, too peaceful."

Before she was done speaking, she knew what she did. She'd let on that she'd watched him sleep.

Bobby decided not to press her on what she just admitted to. It thrilled him beyond belief that she watched him while he slept, but he didn't want to embarrass her. _Hmmmm, I wonder if she has had her own little 'play time' as well._ That thought had never occurred to him before then.

He rolled onto his side and mirrored her position. He was still being playful, squinting his eyes at her.

"Are you sayin' I snore, Eames?"

"Hey! There are rules in this bed mister!" She raised her eyebrows at him and put on a fake angry face.

"Sorry…are you trying to imply that I snore, Ms. Eames?" He was trying to give her his best 'detective Goren look' as he teased her some more.

"I refuse to answer the question until I get the respect I deserve…" She continued in mock anger, quickly falling into the role of the suspect in this little back and forth. "Besides, I think you're bullying me detective and I don't appreciate it."

"Well, if you'd just answer my question you wouldn't feel that way, now would you?" Somehow he was giving her his famous head tilt while laying down. She wanted to burst into laughter, but she caught herself before she did.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat the question? I seem to have forgotten it." She added a little southern lilt to her voice, trying to sound innocent.

He leaned in a little closer as he spoke, "I asked you… are …you …implying …that …I…snore …" He paused to punctuate the last word, "**Alex**?"

She put on her best poker face and answered, "you should know be by now. I never imply anything. I either say it, or I don't."

He was a bit thrown by this.

"You said I sometimes I breathe a little loud."

"And that's what meant." Now it was her turn to get him going.

"Well, what does that mean?" He was perplexed by this woman.

"Just what it sounds like." She wasn't making this easy for him.

He rolled onto his back. "Alex." He said in frustration.

She took great pride in breaking him. Then she put him out of his misery, "Bobby, it just means that sometimes you're breathing is a little loud. Not quite a snore, it's just loud enough that I know you're there… But don't worry, Bobby, I've gotten used to it…. In fact, I kinda like it."

He inhaled deeply and slowly let the air out. _She's gotten used to it. She likes it_. Inwardly, he was doing cartwheels.

"Well, I've had enough of this…I'm gonna go for a run then I'll bring back some bagels. Sound good?" She was making her way out of the bed and across the room as she spoke. As she did that, Bobby propped his head up on his hands. He silently watched her as she pulled clothes out of her drawer and grabbed her sneakers from the closet.

She gathered her things to her chest and spun back towards him quicker than he was anticipating. She found him watching her. It made him catch his breath. He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked right then. He just kept staring at her, trying to impress this moment in his memory. She mistook his actions. She thought he was looking at her because he needed help getting up.

"Oh, wait; let me help you get up first." She started back to him.

"Wait Eames, let me try this." She watched him very carefully get up out of bed on his own.

They stood there with big smiles on their faces; neither of them knowing quite what to make of this development.

"Okay, well… let me get go - then I'll get out of your hair." She meant let me go to the bathroom, and then I'll go for the run and get out of your hair. But he thought she meant something else at first. He thought she meant she was going to get out of his hair permanently. A look of panic crossed his face and she picked right up on it.

She reassured him while trying to make it sound like a joke, "It's just run, Bobby. Don't worry; I'll bring you back your favorite bagel."

He forced out a chuckle, trying to sound casual. "Sounds great, Eames…thanks." He waited for her to go to the bathroom before he let out a huge sigh of relief.

--

Alex left and Bobby went in to shower. He was able to get himself undressed. But the real challenge was getting his pants on. He brought a kitchen chair into the bathroom and sat down. He slowly bent down and managed to get his boxers on and pull them up. He did the same thing with his jeans. The jeans were a bit more of a challenge. He threw them on the ground and tucked his left foot inside the leg. He carefully bent sideways. It was painful, but he was able to grab a hold of the side of the pants. Then he wiggled his right foot into it's leg. Once he got his legs in far enough he stood up and raised the jeans with him.

He stood up, and felt like a new man. He zipped and buckled his jeans, feeling very satisfied. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and then brushed his hair.

He thought of Eames. Then, any feeling of accomplishment washed away. _If I can do these things on my own, she's going to leave. _

He felt like shit. Part of him was so happy to have some independence back, but the other part was cursing it. He loved her. He knew that. But, he didn't know what to do next. Olivet's words swirled around in his head, ' _Just make sure you both know where you're heads, and hearts, are at before you take another step.'_

Bobby knew where his head and heart were both at. They were with Alex. Without a doubt. But, he wasn't sure what she was thinking. He knew she was devoted to getting him better, but was she devoted to him…to them? And if so, at what level? He knew she loved him as a friend and partner. And during these past several days she demonstrated that love. Then there were the intimate moments they've shared. He thought of the way she kissed him, and how she almost… _ God, that was sexy. But what was her real motivation? Was she simply caught up in the emotions of… how'd Olivet put it?...'reassuring each other that we're both safe'…or was she demonstrating deep feelings that were real? _

He went to the bedroom and laid down. He put his arms behind his head and crossed his ankles. He continued thinking about Alex.

_Could she be in love with me_? He had too little confidence in himself to just assume that. _How could __she__ be in love with __me__? I have nothing to offer her but a life of uncertainty. How can I promise her anything when I don't even know what my future holds?_ He truly had no idea.

All of a sudden, something flashed in Bobby's head. He's on the stretcher, Eames is over him. They're being rushed through the doors of the ER. Eames is panicked. She leans down to him, 'You can't leave me, Bobby. I need you too much. I love you'.

Bobby's eyes shot open. His hands came around and covered his mouth as he uncrossed his ankles. He slowly got up and started pacing. _She said that. She said she needs me and she loves me. She said I can't leave her, and she loves me._

_That's it. No question anymore. I can't let her go_.

--

Alex felt great. The run was just what she needed. It refreshed her body and mind. She forced herself to just listen to the music and not think about anything that's stressing her out. Those stressors included Dr. Olivet and the fact that Bobby is getting better. As much as she was thrilled to know his recovery was moving faster than anticipated, she also knew it meant that sooner than later, he wouldn't need her there anymore.

She came back to the apartment with promised bagels in hand. While she was out, Bobby made coffee and the aroma hit her as soon as she opened the door.

"Smells like heaven in here." She was surprised to see him in the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter reading the newspaper. He was finally out of sweatpants and she realized that she had forgotten just how cute he looked in jeans. She started towards him with the bagels.

"Hey, how was your run?"

"Awesome, it's beautiful out. I think we should go out for lunch today then take another walk." She was trying to hide the fact that she was checking him out, she could feel her face flush.

"Sounds good." The look on his face let her know she wasn't covering anything up. He knew she wasn't right, but he was trying to figure out what it was.

"Geez, Bobby, I forgot what you looked like without sweatpants on. It's nice to see you in jeans again." She eyed him up and down.

"Thanks. It feels good. I feel more… normal." _Normal will drive you away, though._

She nodded her head. _Yeah_ _but you feeling normal isn't such a good thing after all._

She gave him his bagel and they ate standing up reading their own sections of the newspaper.

--

After they ate, Alex showered and changed into a pair of green cargo pants and a yellow t-shirt. Bobby was laying on the couch reading a book.

"Will it bother you if I turn the TV on?" She curled up in the recliner.

"No, not at all."

They were only there for a few minutes more when there was a knock at the door. Alex rolled her eyes. "What now?" She mumbled as she started straightening her legs.

Bobby stopped her. "Sit Eames, I'll get it."

He opened the door and was surprised to see Ross standing there.

"Captain?!?" He didn't mean for his voice to give away his shock that his captain was back. But it did.

"Goren." Ross' tone let Bobby know that his thoughts were read by the captain.

Bobby tried to back peddle. "Hi, uh, I was just surprised to see you here…again… uh, what I mean is… uh, c-c'mon in."

Ross stepped past Bobby once he saw Alex standing in the living room. She could tell by the slightly amused look on his face that he had Bobby's number.

Seeing Alex there didn't surprise Ross, but he wondered if Goren's nervousness had anything to do with the fact that she was still there.

"Hi Captain, it's nice to see you again."

"Hi Eames. Thank you. I hope I'm not…interrupting anything… I just thought I'd stop by to see how you both were doing."

"I feel good, Captain. Getting better everyday."

"So Eames is taking good care of you?" He asked as he kept his eyes on Alex.

"Yup, she's the best."

"Have a seat. Can I get you anything, Captain?" Ross shook his head no. Eames was getting nervous. She didn't like him there.

Ross sat down on the chair and Bobby and Alex sat at opposite ends of the couch. They were there for a while as Ross filled them in on the comings and goings of Major Case. Alex wasn't ready to hear any of it. The thought of going back to work meant that things were back to normal and she knew what that meant. Ross saw her getting quiet and possibly mad. He didn't know what to make of it.

"Something wrong, Eames?"

That snapped her out of her train of thought. "No, sorry Captain. I guess work can sometimes stress me out, even when I'm not there." She tried to sound light but it didn't work really well.

After a short visit, Ross was ready to leave. He stood up and Alex stood to lead him to the door. He said his goodbyes and she opened the door for him. She was surprised to see someone standing there, hand up, poised to knock.

Nurse Wendy.

Alex closed her eyes hard; hoping that the nurse would be gone when she opened them again. No such luck.

_Oh my fucking god_. Eames felt paralyzed. She new what was coming.

"Hi Mrs. Goren!"

"Wendy?" Eames phrased like a question. She couldn't look at Ross. She felt stuck. They had let Wendy assume they were married, so she felt like she couldn't say anything otherwise now. But Ross… he was so shocked you could blow him over with a feather.

"How's that husband of yours feeling today?"

Ross' eyes were suddenly 10 times wider than usual.

"Ah…fine… Bobby's right there."

Wendy looked at Ross. Eames knew she had to introduce them.

"Captain Ross, this is Bobby's nurse, Wendy. Wendy, this is our boss, Captain Ross."

"Nice to meet you." Ross barely managed to get the words out.

"Oh, wow! I didn't know you guys were married and you worked together! That's great!" Then she saw Bobby on the couch. "Oh, hey Bobby! It's great to see you up and about! Although, from what I interrupted the last time I visited, I'm surprised to see you out of bed!" Then she turned to Ross and winked at him, "You know… newlyweds." She gave a conspiring nod of her head.

Ross' jaw hung open.

Bobby's leg started bouncing while he dragged his hands through his hair.

Alex was trying to find that hole in the floor again.

"Did I say something wrong?" Finally, Wendy was sensing there might be a problem.

Alex didn't know where to even begin. She went to open her mouth when she heard Ross' voice.

"Yes, newlyweds… they can be so…busy." He was now looking from Goren to Eames trying to read them.

Wendy just laughed. Before either of them could speak, Ross continued, "Nurse, did they tell you they were married?"

"You mean they're not?" Now she had the confused look on her face.

"Actually, I'm not sure." Ross turned to Bobby, "Goren? Can you explain this to me?"

"Captain… Wendy… we - we're not married."

"Oh, so you just live together. No biggie."

"Actually Wendy, we're partners." Alex carefully explained.

"Wait, I don't get it."

"We're not married. I'm sorry, you just assumed it and then I felt bad correcting you."

Wendy thought about this. She knew there was more to it. She thought about their conversations and how they referred to each other as husband and wife. Then she remembered how Bobby teased about why his heart rate was fast. She knew there was more to this story than they were letting on. She got a little mad that they deceived her like that.

"Could of fooled me the way you two were carrying on." She just had to give them a dig.

"So, am I getting my papers today?" Bobby thought he should change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Let's take a look and see." Wendy started her exam.

Ross took this as his cue, "alright detectives, I'll see you soon."

Alex followed him out the door so she could explain.

"Captain, look, it's not at all what you think…"

"And what do you think I'm thinking right now, Eames? That you and your partner are…more than partners?"

"Well, yeah, I can see how you would think that. But it's not true."

"Really Detective… then what did the nurse mean by interrupting you the other day."

"I guess she just assumed…"

"Hmmmm, seems to be a lot of that going around… "

"Captain…"

"Eames, just listen. Be careful. You do that, and I don't need to be involved." He held her eyes for a moment until she nodded.

"Okay then Eames, see you soon." He still had a touch of anger in his voice.

With that he was gone.

Alex went back inside. Wendy was just finishing up with Bobby.

"I'm done here. He's good to go." She filled out the discharge papers and handed them to Alex.

Alex was feeling badly about what happened. "Wendy, I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, that was pretty crappy to do. But, you guys really aren't together?"

Alex shook her head. "Just friends."

Wendy looked at both of them. "As I said before, you could have fooled me."

She grabbed her bag and left. Alex couldn't close the door fast enough.

"That went well." Alex snarked as she made her way over to the couch. Bobby had his eyes closed and his head tilted back.

"Of all the people to be here at the same time…" Bobby kept his position as he spoke.

"Well, I explained to Ross what was going on when we were in the hall. He's pissed but I think he'll be okay… Bobby, he told me we should be careful and that if we are that he doesn't have to get involved."

Bobby's head shot down and their eyes met.

Eames continued by voicing Bobby's thoughts, "What do you think he meant by 'careful'?"

He thought for a while. "Well, it could mean 'be careful and don't get involved with each other or else he has to get involved'… Or it could mean, 'be careful and keep anything that's going quiet and if you do that I don't have to get involved'." Then he stopped moving while his eyes drifted off.

And that's when Alex knew she lost him to his thoughts. There would be no more conversation until he had enough time to process Ross' words through that complicated mind of his.

She eased herself onto the couch, picked up a magazine and waited for him to sort this all out.

--

At least an hour went by and Alex had had enough. She was getting restless. She knew what he was doing. He was deep in his thoughts. Replaying what Ross said over and over in his mind. He was trying to get inside Ross' head to figure out what his comment really meant.

She started her own thinking…_What the hell could be takin' so long up there? What? Has your brain gotten mushy bein' out of work all this time?_ Then she had a visual of her thoughts: She gets a can opener and opens up the top of Bobby's head. She peers inside to find a sloshing, rolling sea… and Ross is in a lifeboat being bounced about. Then a shark appears. It looks just like regular shark except that it has Bobby's head. The shark is circling Ross. Ross is hanging on for dear life while the 'Bobby-shark' is trying to capsize his boat and pull him under the water.

She giggles and pulls her knees up to her chest. The more she thinks about her little interpretation of what's going on in Bobby's head she starts to laugh harder and louder. She doesn't care if he thinks she's crazy, she cracking herself up!

He finally looks at her. "What's so funny, Eames?" He's looking at her like she has three heads.

"You are, my dear." She was hoping this reply would confuse him even more. It did.

"Eames, what are talking about?!" He was slightly exasperated.

Instead of explaining, she changed the subject.

"Let's go. I wanna take a walk and buy you lunch." She got to her feet and stretched.

He got up, too. They found their shoes and they went out for lunch.

--

Bobby and Alex were both craving Chinese food. They walked for a while and chose a restaurant a little outside of Bobby's neighborhood. They hadn't had any Chinese for quite a while so they really enjoyed their meal. They had paid and were just finishing up their drinks, sitting in silence.

Bobby knew Wendy just discharged him from her care. He also knew that he could now manage on his own. He had no intention of bringing the subject up, but he felt he needed to. He needed to let her know it was okay to leave him alone. He had to give her an out. He cringed as he spoke.

"So Eames, looks like Wendy thinks I'm all better." He was leaning his right arm on the table and had his left arm up; his chin resting on the palm of his hand and his fingers pressed against the side of his face.

She had been leaning back, but when he spoke she leaned in and mimicked his position. She thought he looked pathetically sad. Like a kid who just lost his new puppy. As sad as he looked, it made her feel good. She was feeling the same way so it thrilled her to see his expression.

Before she spoke, she dropped her hand from her face, rested her arm across the table and placed her hand on his arm.

"I know Bobby. But I was wondering…"

He perked up a little at those words. _Only something good can follow that statement_.

She hesitated and he knew she was trying to get out the right words. _Take your time, Eames. I think I'm gonna like where this is going._ He tried not to look to excited.

"Bobby… remember what Olivet said…about how you're helping me as much as I'm helping you?"

He nodded. _Yes, yes I do…keep going…keep going_. He knew now where she was headed and it took every ounce of restraint not to show his anticipation of her next words.

"Well, would you mind if I stayed with you for a while longer? You see, Bobby, my nightmares are gettin' better. I still have them but they're not freakin' me out as much as they were. And now when I do have one, I wake up and can I see you there, and well, it makes me feel better…safe…like I know you are okay… so I just thought that maybe - if you don't mind I mean - that maybe I can stay, for a while longer…with you."

He just stared at her. She wants to stay. With me.

"Eames, you had me at 'but I was wondering'." He allowed a small smile to cross his lips.

"Hey! So you have seen Jerry Maguire after all!" She was laughing at him and for the second time that day he couldn't get over how beautiful she looked.

"I may have, it's been a while." He tilted his head a little and watched her.

"So, what do you think, Bobby?"

"I think…" he lowered his left hand onto hers, "I think that I'd like you stay as long as you want."

She nodded her head a little and kept eye contact. "Thank you, Bobby."

He raised her hand to his lips and held her fingers there for a few seconds before kissing them. _She loves me_.

"Let's take a walk." He stood up keeping her hand in his and led her out the door.

--


	14. Chapter 14

--

Bobby and Alex walked back to the apartment slowly. They look a longer route than necessary. They walked through the park and sat to watch the children on the playground. They talked and joked and just enjoyed each others' company.

Finally they made their way back to the apartment. Bobby seemed a little wired to Alex and she wondered if he was feeling a bit claustrophobic. She knew he was used to spending time alone. She thought she'd been careful to give him enough time but now she wasn't sure.

She made a quick grocery list and headed for the door.

"I'm gonna go to the store and pick up a few things."

"Why didn't we stop when we were out?"

"I don't know. Just thought of it now. I won't be too long."

"I'll come with you." This confused her. _I thought he needed space. What's wrong with him if he doesn't need to be alone?_

"No Bobby. Stay here. I'll just be about a half hour. Relax."

"Uh, Okay." He heard the door close. _What the hell? Is she sick of me_? Self doubt was creeping back in.

--

Alex went to the grocery store then wandered around a few more before heading back to Bobby's. As she approached the steps outside she saw a girl coming towards her. _Hoochie Mama_, Eames thought to herself. The girl was in her late twenties, on the taller side and had a knock out body. Her hair was cut short with a punk rock look and dyed auburn with a few streaks of brighter red. She had on a jean mini-skirt with a bright pink sweater that bared her midriff. She had it unbuttoned far enough so you could see her bra. Her breasts were practically falling out.

Her tanned legs seemed to go on forever and Eames noticed a few tattoo's around her ankles. One looked like a tiger with a rose in it's mouth. Another was a man's name. _Could be Joseph or Jonathon_? _Someone I'm sure she's not seeing anymore. _There was a third one that looked like a vine that wound down her foot. And then there were the shoes. Pink fuck-me pumps. _What else would they be_? Eames joked to herself.

They reached the stairs at the same time so Alex paused to let her go up first. "Thanks, doll." The girl said to Eames as she snapped her gum. They ascended the stairs and Eames was entertained by the constant clanging of the what seemed like dozens of bangles that she wore on her wrists. Then Eames looked up to see another tattoo, this one was emblazoned across her back, just above her mini-skirt. _Perfect, a tramp stamp. Geez, I couldn't make this girl up if I wanted to._

They waited for the elevator in silence. The girl looked over once or twice and Eames just politely smiled back. Once in the elevator, Eames pressed "4" and looked at the girl to see what floor she needed.

"That's the one I need too, doll. Thanks." _She calls me doll one more time_…

Alex couldn't get out of the elevator fast enough. She was getting sick to her stomach from the amount of perfume the girl had on. _Damn, there could be a dead body in here and I wouldn't know._

Finally the doors opened and Eames hung a quick right. She was heading towards Bobby's apartment and she could here the clicking of heels following her down the hall. Then it hit Alex. _Could she be… no. No way_.

Alex got to Bobby's door and stopped to pull out her key.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" The girl snarled.

Alex slowly looked at this girl. "Excuse me?" Alex was not amused.

"Why do you have a key to Bobby's apartment?" She was still snapping her gum.

"What's it to you?" Alex was trying to remain calm. She was giving her the perfect detective Eames face.

"I'm his girlfriend. And I wanna know who the hell you are." The girl waved her finger a little as she spoke. Eames was using all her willpower not to grab that finger and snap it in half.

"Well, why don't you come inside and let Bobby introduce us." A fake smile and fake happiness were gushing from Eames.

--

Goren was sitting on the couch. He could here muffled commotion on the other side of the door. He knew he heard Eames, but the other voice he couldn't quite place. As the door opened he heard Eames say, 'Well, why don't you come inside and let Bobby introduce us'. Bobby was totally lost. He had no idea what was in store for him.

He sat himself up a bit in the couch and waited to see who Eames was inviting into his apartment. She walked in first and gave him a look that would kill. She didn't say a word.

Then he saw her. Fran. Shit.

He closed his eyes. He couldn't believe she was back. They had met, surprisingly enough, in a bar. She was very aggressive in her approach. He remembered her first words to him, "I can't believe it's already ten-thirty and I still haven't gotten laid."

To Bobby's credit, at first he was appalled by her. But as the night went on and his scotch intake increased, so did his interest in her. He took her home. They had a few hours of intense sex, just fucking really, and then she left. He thought that that was it, but a few nights later she showed up at his door. He let her in. Over the course of a few weeks he became her booty call. He didn't mind. Why would he? Here was a young, hot girl showing up at his door for the sole purpose of having sex with him. He decided he'd be a fool to turn her away. The way he figured it was the one person who he wanted in his bed would never be there. He could never have her. So, why not go for the one who was...available.

But now, that reasoning has come back to bite him in the ass.

Fran came bouncing in. She saw him on the couch. She stood right in front of him, arms crossed, her right leg out in front of her. "Bobby, what the fuck? Who is this...bitch?"

Eames' eyes practically popped out of her head. She went to yell but Bobby cut her off.

"Fran! That's out of line." He slowly stood up. Fran could see he was in some pain and her face became concerned.

"What's wrong, baby?" She walked towards him and tried to lay her hands on his chest but he backed up fast. She continued to snap her gum.

Bobby closed his eyes and put his head down. He needed a minute before he spoke. After a deep breath he began, "Fran, this is Alex." Fran glared at Alex. Alex glared right back.

"Who the hell..." Before Fran could say another word, Bobby raised his hands up in front of himself to stop her.

"Fran... a little over week ago I was shot."

"What? Bobbby, you should have called me -"

"Stop." He took a step back from her as he quieted her down.

"Alex has been helping me. She is the only one I want to help me. Do you understand?"

Fran became a raving maniac.

"What the fuck do you mean? I AM YOUR GIRLFRIEND, BOBBY! Who the hell is she??!!"

Eames was watching his whole thing unfold. Jealousy and anger were boiling inside of her. She couldn't even speak.

"Fran," he spoke as softly as he could so he didn't hurt her. "I'm sorry, but I never thought to call you because... I never thought of you as my girlfriend."

Fran gave him a look of shock.

Bobby was just as shocked. How could she have ever thought she was anything more than a convenience?

"What are you trying to say, Bobby?"

He lost all patience. "Well...what I'm trying to say is that you and I had some fun together, but that was all it was... for me." He looked at Eames to read her reaction. He didn't like what he saw.

"You know what I think, Bobby? I think that you and I had MANY nights of unbelievable sex," she made sure that Eames was looking at her before she continued, "and I think that this... little thing here...". she motioned towards Eames, "is making you feel guilty about it for some reason. But I guarantee you, Bobby, that when I come back and **she**'s not here, you and I are going to pick up right where we left off. Because you and I both know how good I can make you feel." She stopped and took a long look at Eames before turning on her heels and marching out the door.

--


	15. Chapter 15

**a/n: ****THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M****! **

**Please avert your eyes if you are sensitive to things of the ****M**** nature…**

--

Bobby immediately turned his attention toward Alex only to find her slamming the bathroom door. He stood in the hallway and waited. After a few minutes the door flew open. She knew he'd be there and she didn't want to deal with him.

"Get out of my fucking way, Goren." She tried to get past him but he blocked her way.

She snarled at him through gritted teeth, "Bobby, get out of my way and let me leave or so help me god I'll kick you right in the balls." He had never seen her so mad.

He knew better than to test her so he stepped aside. As soon as she passed him he followed behind her. "Alex, please stop and listen to me."

She opened the door, "leave me alone", she growled as she slammed the door.

He knew he had to let her go. He desperately wanted to go after her but it could only make matters worse. She was so pissed at him that anything he said would never be heard by her anyway.

Bobby spent the next two hours pacing. He was in panic mode. _I've never had this happen to me before. I've never cared what anyone thought of the choices I made…damn it. If I could take anything back in my life this would be it._

He eventually laid down on the couch. He stared at the ceiling trying to decide if he should go after her now. _But where could she even be? Is she nearby? Did she get a cab? Maybe she called a friend and they came and picked her up?_ He decided to call her cell phone. He heard it ring. It was still on the kitchen counter. "Shit." He stood up and started pacing again.

Then he heard the door open. He went to the kitchen to find her storming through the apartment to the bedroom. He followed her.

"Alex."

"Stay away from me." She was dragging her suitcase out from under the bed.

"Alex stop and talk to me, please."

"You do **not** want to hear what I have to say, Bobby." She threw the suitcase on the bed and opened the zipper.

Now he was getting angry. He just wanted her to stop and talk to him.

"Yes! Yes I do, Alex. I want to hear everything." He was yelling at her.

"Oh, so what now **you're** pissed?" She was heading toward the dresser.

"You know what? Yes, I am mad. Tell me what I did that was so wrong? As far as I know I am a single guy and I'm allowed to make my own decisions…" He was still yelling as he watched her grab a handful of clothes. "Alex, when I was with her, I had absolutely **no** way of knowing that you and I might one day be here like this. I had **no** idea that…"

He was about to say he had no idea that she loved him. But he didn't want to let her know that he remembered what she whispered to him in the hospital. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. And if she was intent on walking out the door, he was going to keep that piece of information to himself.

She stood up and screamed at him, "You had no idea **what**, Bobby? You had no idea that I would ever find out? Or maybe you had no idea that she would ruin your chances of adding to the notches on your bedpost by fucking your partner. Which is it?"

"**Alex**." He screamed just as loud.

She dropped the clothes and stepped toward him a little bit. "Just tell me one thing, Bobby…please tell me that you were smart enough to use protection with that whore!" Tears were streaming down her face now.

And that's when it hit him. This is what this is all about. _She's jealous, and she's worried that I didn't use protection because she still wants to be with me . Crap. How do I fix this now? _

She didn't wait for an answer.

"You know what… fuck this. My sister will come for my things tomorrow." And with that statement she was almost running for the door.

Bobby wasn't letting her get away this time. He knew if she walked out the door that that would be it for them. He caught up to her in the hall and grabbed her arm. She spun around and slapped him. "**Don't touch me**." She kept moving toward the door. She got to it and opened it slightly only to have two big hands come around on either side of her and slam it shut.

She immediately reared back and tried to jam her right elbow into his gut but he was ready for her. He pressed all of his weight against her, forcing her into the door. Then she thought about head butting him, but he already had his head leaning against hers. She had to turn her head to the right side or else her nose would have been smooshed against the wood. He felt her struggling beneath him. He angled his hips slightly to allow one of his legs to pin both of her legs in place, and he grabbed her wrists and held her arms above her head.

"Sorry, Alex, but it's not gonna happen like that this time."

"**Get off of me**." She was trying with all of her might but she was no match for his size. He had her completely pinned.

"How Bobby…how can you want to be with me when you have someone like **her** just waiting to fuck you?" Her words came out like a weapon. She wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her.

"She means nothing to me. You mean everything, but I had no idea you would ever want me…I mean look at me Alex, I'm a mess. How was I supposed to know you'd ever…" He stopped speaking when she yelled again.

"**Get off me**, **I don't care what you have to say**!"

"No, I'm not letting you go until you hear me out." He was done apologizing. Done arguing. Now, he just wanted to convince her that she did want him still. He continued, "why do you think you're acting like this, hmm? Why? You're jealous, that's why. You're jealous because you still care. You're mad at me for doing her because you care."

She unleashed all of her fury on him. There was no way she was giving up. She struggled and wiggled as much as she could. He felt her movements and his body started reacting to them. He wasn't surprised at his growing erection as much as he should have been. He wanted her so badly. His pent up desire for her that has been simmering all these years was finally bubbling over.

"You might want to stop doing that, Alex, because the only thing you're accomplishing is givin' me a hard on." His voice was deeper than usual. It was filled with desire. Then she felt him press deeper into her waist and she new he was telling the truth.

"You can get as hard as you want, Bobby, but you are never touching me again." She was getting so tired from fighting him that she was out of breath. The sound of her voice only turned him on more.

"You know what?... you're not exactly in the best position to be telling me that." As he said that, he started sucking on her neck.

"Stop it." She was still fighting him.

"No." He breathed into her ear and nibbled on her lobe.

"Bobby, you're hurting me." He wasn't really. She was trying another tactic but he wasn't buying it.

"I don't care." He kept up assaulting her neck and her shoulder with his mouth. He noticed that there was an almost imperceptible change in her fight. She was slowly giving up…or caving in as he would like to think of it.

He moved his mouth back up to her ear and started speaking to her in a hushed tone, "to answer your question…of course I used protection. I have ever since high school."

Alex remained silent. She was doing battle only with herself at this point. Everything he's said was exactly what she needed to hear. She was still mad at him, but she could feel herself letting go. Still, she wasn't sure if she was ready to. She took all of the strength she had and fought once more with all her might. He increased his body's pressure on her and quieted her down again.

Bobby's voice strained from desire, "the only thing that little outburst accomplished was to get me even harder for you, Alex."

She started panting loudly.

His voice went even deeper, she didn't even recognize it, "let me show you what I mean." And with that he brought one of her hands down to his pants and rubbed it across his cock. They both gasped. By now Alex was so ready for him that she could barely think straight.

"See what I have waiting for you?" He hissed into her ear.

Then he brought her hand back up to the other one quickly, and grabbed both wrists with his right hand. His left hand was now free. He brought that hand to her stomach and pulled her to him. "God, Alex, I want you so badly… do you have any idea how excruciating it has been having you in my bed every night and not being able to touch you? To have you undressing me day in and day out and to just sit there?" He paused and breathed in the smell of her hair. "Alex, baby, I have wanted you for so long. I never thought I'd have this chance. I never thought you'd give me a chance…"

He used his free hand to undo her pants and push them over her hips; then he removed her panties the same way. She wiggled them down to her ankles then kicked them off. He was so wrapped up in what his hand was discovering as it explored her body that he didn't even realize that she had become a willing participant.

She finally spoke, "Bobby, please let me turn around."

He didn't even hesitate, "No." Instead, he used his left hand to grab her and lift her up. He moved them as fast as he could to kitchen counter. In one quick movement he spun her around and placed her on it. She wasn't fighting him. He opened her legs roughly and stood between them, then he grabbed her ass and pulled it toward him. Even through his jeans, he could feel his cock pressed up against her center and he let out a loud moan. Then he felt her legs wrap around him and her hands run through his hair. That's when he caught on that she and he were on the same page.

He stopped for a second to look at her, then she spoke, "I've been yours for so long and you've had no idea." He kissed her hungrily and she returned his passion. She had never wanted anyone the way she wanted him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He was sucking on her jaw and it was driving her mad.

"Same reason you didn't… too afraid," she was pressing her breasts into his chest, silently begging him to move his mouth's attention lower. He got the message. He pulled her t-shirt over her head and tossed it behind him. Then he quickly undid her bra and pulled it away from her. "God you're beautiful," he muttered as he put his hands around her waist and lowered his whole body to an almost kneeling position while he took a breast into his mouth. She threw her head back and moaned his name. Both of his hands moved up and down her back feeling her muscles and soft skin, and then finally coming around to fondle her breasts. "Jesus, Bobby. Look what you doing to me."

He took that as an invitation to explore her even further. He moved his left hand lower and rubbed her folds to find her wet and warm and just waiting for him. "Shit, Alex, do you have any idea how wet you are?" It was more of a rhetorical question but she moaned anyway.

Now he got down to a kneeling position and began kissing and licking her inner thighs. By now she was incoherent. She tilted back a little to give him better access. As she did that, he pulled her ass even closer to the edge of the counter and slid his tongue inside.

"Oh, Bobby, you feel…" That's as far as she got when she felt him slide a finger inside of her. "Oh Christ, Bobby, you…" Then she stopped. She had no more words. She just stopped thinking and started feeling everything he was doing to her.

He slipped another finger in and whispered to her, "do you want more?"

She was silent so he took that as a yes and put another finger inside of her. He was twirling them and twisting them and sliding them in and out and deeper and deeper. Between his fingers and his tongue she was ready for her climax before she knew it. "Bobby, oh…"

He felt her jerk her legs and arch her back and he knew she was coming all over him. He quickly stood up and kissed her deeply, still keeping his fingers inside of her. He wanted to feel her contracting around him. Finally she broke the kiss and stared at him.

"Bobby Goren, you are unbelievable." She had no idea how she managed a complete sentence but somehow one came out.

He couldn't help but smile at her. "Baby, I'm no where near done with you." With that he scooped her up and brought her to the bedroom.

Instead of laying her down, he sat her on the bed and looked at her. "Alex, take my clothes off of me. I want to be able to really enjoy it."

She stood up and faced him. Then slowly she pulled his t-shirt out of his waist and raised it up as far as she could manage. He laughed and took it off the rest of the way.

"See Eames, I can still take off my own shirt." He was teasing but she wasn't in the mood for it.

"Hey, do you want to enjoy this or not?" She looked at him; hers eyes were dark and sexy.

"Most definitely I want to enjoy it."

"Good, then be quiet and watch."

Before she went any further she slowly circled him. Her hands were lightly touching him as she moved, but her mouth was leaving soft kisses across his chest, over his arm then around his back. She paused at his back. She pressed her breasts against his skin and wrapped her arms around him. "You have no idea what you do to me, detective." She kissed his back.

"I think I do."

"No, I don't think you really do, so I'm gonna show you." She released her arms and continued her journey so she was once again facing him.

Bobby was frozen. She was driving him absolutely mad at this point. But she also had him curious so he stayed quiet and let her do her thing.

She very slowly grabbed onto the waist of his jeans. She slid her fingers down inside of them while her thumbs remained on the outside; she was using them to draw small circles very close to his cock but not quite touching it.

He felt his legs begin to shake.

She pulled him close and he leaned down to kiss her. She ran her tongue slowly up and down his, giving him a hint as to what's to come. He groaned in her mouth.

She pushed him back a few inches and began freeing him from his pants. She carefully slid his jeans and boxers down, then knelt before him.

"Shit…Alex…I can't take this."

"Oh, yes you can. Because I'm about to take something of yours and you're gonna love every minute of it."

His eyes rolled into the back of his head.

She continued to push his pants down to his ankles then looked up at him and waited for him to lift his legs.

"I know how many times it frustrated you to see me like this and you couldn't do anything about it." Her husky voice was even raspier than usual. "Now you can."

"Dear god, Alex."

She looked up at him and gave him a wickedly sexy smile.

She positioned herself in front of him again and first took him in her hand. This made him gasp and swear under his breath. She rubbed him up and down then slid him into her mouth.

"Oh fuck!" He shouted louder than he had expected to.

She paused for a moment, "no, no…that comes later…for now, I just want to suck you."

Luckily for him they were standing near the dresser because he felt like he was going to collapse as she said that. He quickly braced himself against it, but he never took his eyes off of her.

It was at that moment that he thought that maybe this is all one big, sick dream. _There is no way this is really happening. I can not really be standing in my bedroom watching Alex kneeling before me with my cock in her mouth. _ He ran his hand quickly through her hair almost to prove to himself that this was reality. _She is here_.

He continued to watch her and feel her. She was running her tongue up and down the length of him then stopping at the tip to give an extra suck. All the while she would tickle and massage his balls and glance up to catch his eyes every now and then. He could hear her moaning with pleasure. He couldn't believe how incredibly good she was at this. His eyes fluttered closed but then he quickly opened them so he could still watch her.

Then she opened her throat and took in as much of him as she could and held him there. She could feel him twitch in her mouth and it excited her to know he really liked that so she did it a few more times.

Bobby was now at the breaking point. He knew if he didn't stop her right then, he never would. As much as he wanted her to finish, he desperately wanted to be inside of her when he came.

"Alex, let's go to the bed, I want to get inside of you."

She was having none of it. "Bobby, we have all night for that…you stopped me from this once, you're not gonna do it again."

He knew it wouldn't take much to convince him to let her finish…and it didn't.

She could tell he wasn't long from his own orgasm so she went back to work. She grabbed his ass in both hands and used that leverage to pull him in and out of her mouth. She increased the motion and the pressure of her mouth and tongue.

"I'll let you know when I'm close so you can - " He was giving her one more out.

"No, Bobby, I want all of you."

Her words alone sent him over the edge. One more suck from her and he came into her mouth. He leaned forward and grabbed onto her hair. "Holy Shit, Alex. My god." His orgasm was overwhelming. It was stronger than he anticipated, but she took it all. And the sight of her before him swallowing everything he released made it feel even more intense for him. He could barely breathe let alone stand.

"I need to sit down." He panted the words out.

She stood up and took him to the bed. He laid back and she curled up next to him. He wrapped his arms around her while he caught his breath.

Finally, once he was back to himself he turned so he was facing her. He looked into her eyes for a while then kissed her.

"Alex, you didn't have to do that."

"Don't you think I know that? Bobby, I wanted to do that…for you."

He shook his head, "you're an incredible lover." He closed his eyes and took in the feeling of having her naked in his arms.

She pulled him out of his thoughts with a kiss. Their kiss was slow but passionate as her tongue danced around his, reminding him just what that tongue can do to him. He was shocked to feel his groin stirring again. _This girl is gonna be the death of me_.

She felt him grow against her thigh and her eyes grew wide, "Jesus, Bobby…already?"

"Eames…Alex…", he sheepishly smiled at her, "what can I say? It's not me, it's you! You're doing this to me. I mean… I told you, I've been waiting for six years for this, you can't expect me to be 'one and done'."

She pulled him closer, "I would have been disappointed if you were, but my point is more to the fact that I can't believe you can already contemplate…"

"Oh, I'm doin' more than contemplating," He smiled at her and watched her reaction as she felt the firmness in his cock turned into a full blown erection.

She smiled at him and climbed on top of him; straddling his waist.

He looked at her hesitantly, "wait a sec, let me get a condom." He tried to sit up but she pushed him back down.

"Bobby, you said you always use protection. Well, I do too, but I'm also on the pill…"

His mind started reeling. _She's going to let me inside of her without any barriers between us. Christ, I can't believe her. I can't believe that she's mine_.

He laid back down and pulled her neck to him so he could kiss her. Before their mouths touched she stopped. She propped one hand on the bed and the other she used to touch his face. Then she began to slowly leave small, chaste kisses all around his lips. He tried to lean up to strengthen the kisses but she pulled away.

"Shhh, feel how good this is, Bobby."

He laid back down and closed his eyes. She continued. Her kisses were now spread out all over his face and the timing in between each one was sporadic, building his anticipation. He didn't know where the next kiss would be or when. She was thoroughly enjoying herself watching him and kissing him.

Once she was done, she snaked her hand in between them and positioned him so all he had to do was thrust and he would enter her. He opened his eyes and they stared at each other as she brought her hand back up and now had it propped on the bed.

Before he thrust he spoke, His voice was just above a whisper. "Alex, I remember. I remember the rest of what you said to me on the stretcher."

"What did I say?" She caught her breath.

"You said that I couldn't leave you, and that you needed me…and that you loved me."

Their eyes remained locked on each other.

"Bobby, I do love you." And with those words she slowly slid herself over him.

"Oh, Alex. Jesus, you feel so unbelievable… oh god, baby." Between what she said and what she did, Bobby really believed that the world suddenly stood still.

She let him regain his composure before she kissed him. Then she kissed him hard. He returned the strength of the kiss as she began rocking on top of him.

He pushed at her shoulders so she was sitting upright and he watched her. He shook his head in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" She couldn't read his expression.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong. I just can't get over this."

She smiled at him and he began to play with her breasts. Then she placed her hands on his chest so she could really ride him. He loved watching her bounce on top of him, but he also wanted to make her come again, so he began to rub her clit. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her close her eyes and roll her head around. _This is gonna take shorter than I thought_, he proudly thought to himself.

He is a quick study and even though he only brought her to orgasm once, he knew her signs already. He could see her mouth open and her back arched ever so slightly, but it was just enough for him to know how close she was getting. He began to thrust harder into her because he wanted to come with her. He increased his ministrations on her clit and he drove himself deeper.

"Oh my god, Bobby. I'm so close."

"I know…Alex…" He looked at her and once he caught her eyes he continued. "I love you, too, Alex. I always have and I always will."

And with that, they both released again.

The waves of ecstasy she felt were something she had never experienced before. Her body was pulsating and it seemed like it would never stop. _He loves me_.

"No one else…ever again, Bobby…you're all that I want." She was now leaning down nuzzling his neck and whispering into his ear.

"That's all I ever wanted to hear, Alex." No more emptiness, no more loneliness. All he felt was her love for him. It filled him with warmth and with a satisfaction that he never before new existed.

They laid there together for a long time just feeling each other. Neither was in any rush to move.

At least an hour went by when Alex heard Bobby's stomach grumble.

She giggled. "I guess it's dinner time." She picked her head up and smiled at him.

He smiled right back. "Yup, but don't worry, the nights still young."

"Yeah, but you're not!" She kissed his neck and he pretended to look hurt.

"That hurt." He gave her sad eyes.

"Oh please, after what you just did, I'm not falling for that tired act."

He laughed out loud, "You better believe it…and you better rest now up …because I'm not planning on lettin' you get much sleep at all tonight…I've got a lot of time to make up for."

"That's what I was countin' on, Bobby." She kissed his chest.

And he was right, they enjoyed a very long night of catching up on lost time.

--

**a/n: Okay, that was waaaay "more smutty" than I ever thought I'd write. I hope you all liked it and it was worth the wait! Another chapter is on the way…**


	16. Chapter 16

--

As the sun rose, they finally fell asleep together. Throughout the night, Alex tried to sleep, and Bobby would let her for a little while, but time and time again, his desire for her would overcome him and he would eventually wake her up. She really didn't mind but by sun-up, she was exhausted and he finally relented to the draw of sleep as well.

It was about noon time and they woke up when they heard a knock at the door.

"Oh. My. God." Alex didn't open her eyes.

"Maybe they'll go away."

Knock, knock, knock.

"I'm exhausted…I can't move." She pulled the covers over head. Bobby chuckled at her.

"Couldn't sleep?"

She heard the humor in his voice, she wasn't finding it very funny just then.

"I guess this is what I get for falling in love with a guy who is used to staying up all night."

He grinned to himself and pulled her closer, nuzzling her neck, "you'll get used to it."

"Oh, God! You mean you're not ever gonna let me sleep?" She mock complained as she pushed the covers back down and looked at him.

Knock, knock, knock. "Hey Aunt Alex, are you in there?"

"Shit! It's Nate and my sister!" She jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of sweats and a shirt from her drawer. Bobby got up and went to the bathroom.

She sprinted down the hall and swung the door open. She was greeted by Beth, Nathan and…her dad.

_Oh crap_! "Hi guys! What a surprise! C'mon in!"

She led the trio into the apartment and they all took seats in the living room. Beth and Nate sat on the couch and her dad sat in the chair. Alex sat on the floor. The adults were looking at her suspiciously. Nate didn't have a clue.

"Aunt Alex, I miss you!" He ran to her, fell into her lap and hugged her.

"I miss you too, Nate! You're hug feels soooo good."

"You have messy hair."

"Uh, yeah, well I haven't brushed it in a while I guess."

"Did we interrupt something?" Beth could only imagine what they interrupted but she felt compelled to tease her sister.

"No, no, I was just, uh, cleaning."

Her dad glanced around the room. He didn't see a vacuum or dust rags or anything that would indicate cleaning was occurring. He narrowed his eyes. "So, where's your partner? How's he doin'?"

"He's in the bathroom and he's doing great."

With that, Bobby stepped into the room.

"Hi Beth, Hi Mr. Eames," he stepped over and shook John's hand. He made quick eye contact but then stopped. He felt like guilt was written all over his face. He sat on the couch and Nate ran toward him. "Hey little man!" Nate went to jump in his lap but Beth grabbed him.

"Not so fast Nathan, Bobby's boo-boo is still getting better."

"So, what have you kids been up to? How've you been keeping busy?" Mr. Eames looked at the them suspiciously.

Bobby did his best at trying not to look shocked. _Actually Mr. Eames, last night you're daughter gave me the best blow job of my life_, he thought to himself. _Can you imagine if I said that_? He felt himself starting to grin but then fought it off.

"Bobby, how's your boo-boo?"

_Thank God for Nate_! They both silently offered.

"Well Nate, my boo-boo is almost all better. Before you know it I'll be as good as new."

"Good! Cause I like to jump on you! You're fun to climb!"

They all laughed. Beth watched her sister. She knew exactly what was going on.

Nate got up and pulled a truck out of his mom's bag and started driving it all around the living room making 'vroom vroom' noises.

Mr. Eames spoke up, "So Bobby, that's great news about your wound."

"Yeah, yeah it is. The nurse gave me my discharge papers yesterday. It was much earlier than we expected." _We_. That little word wasn't lost on either Beth or John.

"Alex, you must be happy to hear that, I bet you can't wait to get back to your own place." He was now testing them.

Alex immediately tilted her head down and brought her left hand up to scratch behind her ear. It's a nervous habit of hers that, unfortunately, the other three adults in the room knew about. It's a clear cut sign that she's embarrassed.

Beth smirked, John frowned and Bobby fidgeted. They all waited for her reply.

"Um, yeah. I guess I'll be moving back to my place." She flashed a fake smile that none of them bought.

Bobby watched this and was trying to hide his happiness. He knew she didn't want to leave.

Nate continued playing with his truck, now he was running it through the kitchen.

"So, dad, what's been new with everyone?"

John filled Alex in on family information while Bobby pretended to be interested. Never in his life did he want guests to leave his place more than right then. He wanted her alone…all to himself. He couldn't get the memories of last night out of his head. Memories of what she did to him, and what he did to her. He wanted to do them all again. He could feel himself getting hard for her.

Then, Nate came walking in from the kitchen, "Hey, Aunt Alex…why'd you take your pants off in the kitchen?" The kid was holding her pants and undies.

_Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap_!

Beth jumped up and went to Nate. She took Alex's pants and tossed them back into the kitchen. "Nate! Guess what buddy…it's time to go already!"

Bobby and Alex stood up. Bobby started rubbing the back of his neck. Alex put her hands up to her mouth.

John just looked at them. He stood up, too.

All Bobby could think of was that all along, Mr. Eames was right. Bobby **did **have an ulterior motive regarding his daughter, and Mr. Eames saw through him right from the start. _Damn_. _He's never gonna like me now_.

"Dad…"

He put his hand up to stop her from going further. "Alex…why **are** your pants in the kitchen? What possible explanation could there be?" He sounded upset but he was totally playing them.

"Mr. Eames, sir…"

"Bobby. Stop right there. I have one thing to say…" Bobby thought there was a good chance he was going to vomit he was so afraid.

Then, John smirked at them. "It's about friggin' time."

The relief that swept through both of them was evident on their faces. Beth was now standing there holding Nathan.

Alex looked at her apologetically, "I'm sorry he found those, Beth."

"Are you kidding? He just thinks you're messy. Ya know, between your clothes and the obvious bed head he has a point!"

"I've never been more embarrassed in my life." Alex played with her ear again.

Mr. Eames went over to Bobby. "Take care of her, son. She loves you very much you know." He extended his hand to Bobby.

Bobby looked at his hand and looked then looked at John. "Mr. Eames, I intend to do just that. Thank you." Then Bobby shook John's hand.

"Well, we really should go. Bobby, it's great to see you're feeling better. Alex, call me." Beth hugged them both then let Nathan hug them both as well.

"Goodbye, Nate. I'll see you soon, I love you!" Alex hugged him tight. "Bye Aunt Alex, I love you, too." He squeezed her back.

"You be good little man, and next time I see you, you can climb on me all you want."

"Yes!" He gave Bobby a high-five.

John smiled at them both and the three of them left.

Once the door closed Bobby and Alex looked at each other. She went over to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, cat's out of the bag I guess."

He kissed the top of her head.

"Let me go to the bathroom and get changed then we can make some breakfast…or is it lunch at this point?" She was mumbling as she retreated to the bathroom.

"I'll put coffee on then we'll figure that out." He called back to her.

--

They decided on breakfast and they ate it in bed. It didn't take them long to pick up where they left off the night before.

When they were finished, they stayed in each other's arms.

"You know, Alex, when your family was here, all I could think about was what I wished I was doing to you."

"You did look like you were daydreaming a bit."

"Oh, I was dreaming all right." He nibbled on her neck.

They were falling back to sleep when they were jolted awake from pounding on the door.

"Bobby Goren, open this door right now!"

It was Fran again.

Bobby went to get up but Alex stopped him.

"I got this one."

She went to the closet and picked out one of Bobby's dress shirts. She put it on and buttoned only a few of the buttons. As she approached the door she purposely messed her hair up.

Bobby got up and stood in the bedroom door. He knew Alex wanted to handle this on her own, but he wanted to be prepared just in case.

Alex opened the door and smiled at Fran. "Back so soon?"

Fran did a once over of Eames and fire burned in her eyes.

"**Where** is Bobby?"

"Bobby's in bed, waiting for me to get back there."

"No. There is no way. I want to see him." She tried to push her way past Alex but Alex blocked her and gave her a look that stopped Fran fast and made her retreat into the hall.

"Sorry, **doll**, but Bobby doesn't want to see you."

"You're lying. Let me see him. I know Bobby wants to see me."

"No, see, the thing is Fran is that Bobby wants nothing to do with you."

"Bullshit."

"Nope, it's the truth. Apparently, this 'little thing' here," as Alex said that she pointed to herself herself, "is exactly what Bobby wants."

Fran was furious. "I don't believe that for one minute." She looked Alex up and down critically. "I mean, what the hell could you have that that I don't have?"

Alex paused and put a big grin on her face. "I have his love. And that is something I have always had and you… you never will."

With that, Alex felt Bobby's hands on her shoulders.

"She's right, Fran. I've always loved her and only her. You need to leave here and never come back."

Fran stood there shocked. This had never happened to her before. Finally she stormed off, not saying another word.

--

As strong as she appeared to Fran, Bobby knew that the encounter took a lot out of Alex. He knew Fran was a touchy subject. He needed to reassure her as fast as he could so he quietly led her back to the bedroom.

She laid down on her side to face him, still shaking a little bit. Bobby laid down and looked at her.

"Alex, please come over here." Bobby spoke so tenderly she felt her heart pull. He had laid his right arm on the bed indicating she should come closer. He wanted to see if she would come to him. He knew it would be a good sign if she did.

Alex didn't speak, she didn't trust her voice not to crack. She nodded at him as she climbed her way to him. She slid under the covers, stretched her legs along his, rested her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. They laid there for a while in silence.

Bobby felt Alex squeeze his waist. Then he felt tears fall onto his chest. He closed his eyes trying to find the right words.

"Alex," he whispered as softly as he could, "I am so sorry about that girl", he couldn't bring himself to say her name, "if I ever knew that I had even the slightest chance with you, I never would have gone near her."

He continued, "Baby, you have to know that you mean everything to me. You're my life, you're the reason I get up every morning, the reason I make it to work everyday, the only reason I ever smile…" He slowly unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it off of her shoulder. He kissed her newly exposed skin.

He stopped kissing her and laid his head back down on the pillow. They were face to face. He brought his hand up and laid it on her cheek.

"Alex. You're my everything. Please tell me you believe me…you believe in us. Please tell me you'll never regret this."

She moved her hand to his face.

"Bobby, there is no where I would rather be than here with you. And the only thing I regret is that it took almost losing you for me to tell you that I love you." Despite her best efforts, tears started running down her face.

"Alex, stop. Don't keep reliving that, it's too hard for you." He kissed her nose.

"No, you have to hear this…I know what everyone must have been thinking. She lost her husband and now she might lose her partner. That I lost the one man I loved and another who I was so close to… and of course it's true that I loved Joe, but you know what? I never loved him the way I love you." She was crying harder now, trying to speak and cry at the same time.

"He and I had a different kind of relationship than ours. He and I were young and crazy about each other, but sometimes it was hard to know if he thought of me…us…as real. He was still such a kid. I honestly have no idea if we'd even still be together. If I would have wanted someone more. Someone who really saw who I was; that I was more than a fun wife and a cop. Would I have wanted someone who made me feel loved and safe and strong… For a long time, Bobby, I had wondered if Joe hadn't died, if I still would have fallen in love with you. And honestly, I know I would have. I'm pulled to you and I know that wouldn't have changed even if I were still married. He and I were so young and the love we had wasn't based a deep understanding of each other like the love we have for each other." She sat up and looked him in the eyes.

"I was able to get through losing Joe. It was nearly killed me, but I put my life together and survived... But Bobby, if I had lost you… that would have been the end of me. That crazy man might has well have shot me too, because there is no way I could ever keep going if you had died."

Alex was sobbing at this point. Bobby pulled her to him and cradled her in his arms. "Baby, I'm here and I'm never going anywhere." They laid there for close to an hour. Finally she began to settle down. He lifted her face toward his and began to kiss away her tears. Bobby could feel her breathing was almost back to normal. He kept kissing her face and her hair.

He rolled her over and laid on top of her. He wanted to have her completely beneath him. He wanted her to feel safe and to know he was alive and with her.

"Alex, I love you. I started falling in love with you the minute I met you. And every day I find something new, something different about you, that tugs at my heart and makes me realize that I will never be happy with anyone else for a long as I live."

He wiped some tears of hers away and kissed her cheeks. Then he continued. "Baby, do you know how much I love you? How real my feelings are for you?"

She nodded her head.

"Then stay with me. Don't ever leave. I want this to be our bed, our apartment, our life. We've waited for too long. I don't want to wait any longer."

He paused for a minute and ran his fingers through her hair and looked deep into her eyes.

"I mean, I know I can't promise you a life full of sunshine. God knows that's not me. But you know me, you know who I am and what my life is all about, and yet, you're still here. And that just blows me away, Alex."

"Bobby, you have no idea how special you really are. You are a wonderful, beautiful, caring person and I think of myself as so lucky to be the one person who really figured all that out. I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have fallen in love with you."

Her words paralyzed him for a minute. He couldn't believe that she said that…about him. Everything she confessed to him was so much more than he was ever expecting. He couldn't believe he was doing it, but he silently thanked the bastard who shot him because he wasn't sure what would have happened if that didn't happen.

He surprised her by climbing off of her and pulling her up so she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Before she could register what he was doing she found him kneeling before her. He took her hand in both of his.

"Alexandra Eames, I love you with all my heart. And I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you…will…will you marry me?" He had tears in his eyes as he waited for her answer.

"Bobby." She pulled him to her and she pushed him down on the bed. Then she laid down on top of him. "Bobby Goren, there is nothing I want more than to marry you... yes!...yes, I would love to be your wife."

With that, Alex kissed him with all the passion she had. She let it all flow into him.

They were both crying as they broke the kiss and then they held onto each other and whispered soft promises into each others ears.

Finally, he spoke. "You know what this means."

She lifted her head and looked at him questioningly.

"Looks like you're in for another sleepless night." He raised his eyes at her.

"God, I hope you get tired of me real soon or else I'm going to be a perpetual zombie."

"Perpetual zombie it is, Eames, because I'll tell you right now, there is no way I'm ever getting tired of you."

"Hey! Don't forget the rules! It's **Alex**!...and besides, soon I won't be Eames, I'll be Goren, just like you!".

He looked at her for a long time then gently kissed her, "you'll always Eames to me."

And she smiled. Because she loved when he called her Eames. No matter what.

The End!

--

**a/n: well, that's all folks! I want to thank everyone who read along; and especially those who were so nice to "fav story", "story alert" and ****of****course**** review. You reviewers really kept me going! I can't tell you how much I appreciated it ! A big ****thank you**** to each and every one of you *stands up and claps*. Until next time…cifan.**


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